LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Access to Parliament

Greg Knight: To ask the Leader of the House if he will take steps to ensure that any future plans for Parliament Square and surrounding roads which involve pedestrianisation take into account the need for speedy access to the Palace of Westminster by hon. Members and Peers.

Jack Straw: Yes.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House what the average cost to his Office was of replying to a letter written by  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public in the last period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

Jack Straw: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, column 76WS.

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Leader of the House what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of the Privy Council Office.

Jack Straw: HM Treasury and the National Audit Office have agreed that the Privy Council Office, which is a small Department, need not have a professionally qualified finance director. Financial management falls within the responsibilities of the director of corporate services, with professional support from a chartered accountant. A second qualified accountant (FCCA) is a non-executive member of the Department's Audit and Risk Committee.

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make arrangements for the tabling of written parliamentary questions for answer during parliamentary recesses.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend for Wirral, South (Ben Chapman) on 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1836W.

Political Party Funding

Philip Davies: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1057W, on the funding of political parties, when Sir Hayden Phillips is expected to make his report.

Jack Straw: As set out in the terms of reference published on 20 March 2006, Sir Hayden Phillips is to report to the Government by the end of December 2006 with recommendations for any changes to the current arrangements.

TRANSPORT

Carlisle Northern Development Road

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role the North West regional assembly will play in determining the priority given to the building of the Carlisle northern development road.

Stephen Ladyman: We asked the regions to advise us on their priorities for major transport schemes within the indicative regional funding allocations that were announced in July 2005. We are currently considering the North West region's advice, which the North West regional assembly were involved in determining, on the priority it attaches to the Carlisle northern development route and other major transport schemes in the North West. We hope to announce our response to the region's advice before the parliamentary summer recess. This scheme is currently assumed to be funded through the private finance initiative (PFI) with only a small element coming from the regional funding allocation. We are currently considering Cumbria's bid for an increase in PFI funding requirement.

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of his Department.

Gillian Merron: The Department's finance director is Ken Beeton.
	Mr. Beeton is a chartered accountant and was appointed to his current post in March 2003. He worked previously at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), where he gained relevant experience in a range of financial and policy posts. Before joining DfES, Mr. Beeton worked in the private sector and gained relevant financial experience in insurance, building societies, manufacturing and the accountancy profession.

East Riding

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding for which his Department is responsible has been allocated to the East Riding of Yorkshire council for each year since 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: The East Riding of Yorkshire council has been allocated nearly £62 million in funding in the local transport capital settlements since 1997-98.
	Table 1 shows the funding allocated to The East Riding of Yorkshire council in the local transport capital settlements since 1997-98. The funding allocation includes: the integrated transport block; road maintenance; and approximately £5 million provided in 2003-04 for the replacement of the Dutch River Bridge.
	The integrated transport block allocations are available for local authorities to use on road and public transport improvements, according to their local priorities.
	Additionally Table 2 sets out the bus subsidies received by The East Riding of Yorkshire council. Funding for rail and trunk roads has not been included as it is not possible to allocate it across any specific constituency.
	
		
			  Table 1: East Riding of Yorkshire council 
			   Total funding (£000) 
			 1997-98 1,824 
			 1998-99 856 
			 1999-2000 2,378 
			 2000-01 2,879 
			 2001-02 7,598 
			 2002-03 8,061 
			 2003-04 10,876 
			 2004-05 16,958 
			 2005-06 10,372 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: East Riding of Yorkshire council nature of funding 
			   (£000) 
			   Rural bus subsidy grant  Rural bus challenge  Total bus subsidy 
			 1997-98 — — — 
			 1998-99 534 — 534 
			 1999-2000 534 423 957 
			 2000-01 534 400 934 
			 2001-02 682 825 1,507 
			 2002-03 781 358 1,139 
			 2003-04 797 — 797 
			 2004-05 821 — 821 
			 2005-06 853 — 853

Foreign-registered Vehicles

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the amount of fines and charges unpaid by the owners of foreign registered vehicles in the UK in each of the past five years.

Gillian Merron: Information on the amount of fines and charges unpaid by the owners of foreign registered vehicles in the UK in each of the past five years is not collected centrally, and so an estimate could be made only at disproportionate cost.

Parking Act 1989

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of the Parking Act 1989; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act; and whether he has plans to amend this Act.

Gillian Merron: The Parking Act 1989 amended the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to:
	(a) allow the use of cashless parking systems in car parks controlled by local authority orders. Originally, such systems had to be type-approved by the Secretary of State but that requirement was repealed by the Deregulation (Parking Equipment) Order 1996;
	(b) include provisions on the display of information at off-street parking places; and
	(c) modify the offences and proceedings provisions concerning parking places.
	We have not received any recent representations about this Act and do not have any current plans to amend it.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress First Great Western trains is making in refurbishing class 43 mark III coaches; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: First Great Western ('FGW') announced on 5 June 2006 that it had signed two contracts with Bombardier Transportation to the value of 63 million and 85 million for the improvement and overhaul of its High Speed Train fleet. FGW also said that the first of the new-look trains would be in service in November 2006, with all 405 carriages completed by December 2007.

Railways

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to limit the environmental impact of the Crossrail project.

Derek Twigg: We are putting a number of mechanisms in place to control the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of Crossrail:
	arrangements within the Crossrail Bill for local planning authorities to approve detailed design and construction arrangements;
	policies, commitments and undertakings entered into outside the Bill; and
	existing legislation, unless expressly or impliedly disapplied or modified by the Crossrail Bill.
	In particular, any nominated undertaker will be contractually bound to comply with controls set out in the 'Environmental Minimum Requirements'a suite of documents that is being developed in consultation with local authorities and other relevant stakeholders. The nominated undertaker will also be required to take such opportunities as may be reasonably practicable to reduce significant adverse impacts.
	The information paper: 'DO2 Control of Environmental Impacts' sets out our approach. A copy of this paper has been placed in the Library and is also available on the Crossrail Bill supporting documents website at:
	http://billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk

Railways

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment the Government made of the Superlink proposals; and what criteria were used in deciding on the Crossrail option.

Derek Twigg: The route and service options considered as part of the development of the Crossrail project were appraised in a manner consistent with the Government's New Approach to Appraisal (NATA). Guidance on applying NATA to projects is provided in the Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies (GOMMMS). The information paper 'A1 Development of the Crossrail Route' outlines the alternative Crossrail route options that were considered and the reasons for selecting the preferred scheme. A copy of the paper has been placed in the Library and is also available on the Crossrail Bill supporting documents website at:
	http://billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk

Railways

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1629W, on railways, what progress has been made in his examination of the case for establishing a direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London.

Derek Twigg: The West Coast Main Line Progress Report, published in May 2006, sets out the latest position regarding a direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Library.

Railways

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in the development of the Crossrail system; and to what extent the system is to be integrated into the Thames Gateway redevelopment.

Derek Twigg: The Crossrail Billa Bill to provide the powers necessary to build Crossrailis currently undergoing consideration by a Select Committee in the House of Commons. The overall Bill timetable is a matter for Parliament but we currently expect Royal Assent in 2007.
	In parallel with the Bill process, Cross London Rail Links Limited (CLRL) are continuing to develop the Crossrail project and recently appointed Bechtel to act as the project's development manager.
	The Crossrail project would provide two stations within the Thames Gateway area, Custom House and Abbey Wood, which would increase capacity in this area and improve links with central and west London. Abbey Wood would also provide a convenient cross platform interchange with the North Kent line.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were cancelled in each of the past 12 months, broken down by region.

Derek Twigg: The following table show the number of all trains cancelled, as a percentage, in the year 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, by Network Rail route, listed by rail industry four-weekly business reporting period.
	
		
			  Percentage of cancellations per period by route 
			  National Rail route  PI  P2  P3  P4  P5  P6 
			 Anglia 0.15 0.16 0.17 0.21 0.16 0.15 
			 Kent 0.09 0.08 0.13 0.17 0.13 0.11 
			 London North East 0.63 0.57 0.60 0.67 0.49 0.57 
			 London North West 0.36 0.29 0.32 0.39 0.32 0.29 
			 Scotland 0.35 0.28 0.32 0.30 0.23 0.24 
			 Sussex 0.07 0.07 0.08 0.17 0.09 0.10 
			 Wessex 0.08 0.07 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.10 
			 Western 0.27 0.25 0.27 0.32 0.28 0.28 
			 Total 2.00 1.76 1.96 2.32 1.77 1.83 
		
	
	
		
			   P7  P8  P9  P10  P11  P12  P13 
			 Anglia 0.13 0.21 0.22 0.24 0.15 0.11 0.16 
			 Kent 0.12 0.09 0.11 0.13 0.07 0.08 0.08 
			 London North East 0.50 0.56 0.59 0.53 0.52 0.58 0.51 
			 London North West 0.32 0.35 0.27 0.27 0.22 0.58 0.30 
			 Scotland 0.27 0.36 0.35 0.32 0.28 0.24 0.29 
			 Sussex 0.10 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.08 
			 Wessex 0.06 0.12 0.16 0.10 0.05 0.07 0.09 
			 Western 0.24 0.30 0.32 0.24 0.23 0.28 0.27 
			 Total 1.74 2.07 2.11 1.91 1.62 1.69 1.78

Railways

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it a legal requirement for train operators to provide and maintain toilets on trains, including for disabled people.

Derek Twigg: The Department has no plans to make provision and maintenance of toilets on trains a legal requirement.
	The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 (RVAR) sets out the accessibility requirements applicable where trains are fitted with toilets.

Railways

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has  (a) to increase parking facilities and  (b) to upgrade station facilities at Warrington Bank Quay.

Derek Twigg: As part of the current renegotiation of the West Coast Trains franchise, Virgin Rail Group has been asked to develop and implement plans for increased car parking capacity at stations where they are the station facility owner. This includes Warrington Bank Quay station. Virgin Rail Group will be proposing where and when the additional car parking spaces are going to be implemented in their bid submission. Implementation is subject to a positive business case.
	The Customer Information System at the station is due to be upgraded this year.

Roads

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost to public funds was of a road fatality in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents and casualties are set out in the Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties which can be found on the DfT website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/qroups/dft_rdsafety/documents/divisionhomepage/030 763.hcsp
	The average values, based on 2004 casualty data, are 1,384,463 for a fatality and 1,573,217 for a fatal accident. These amounts are the values to be used in the appraisal of road traffic schemes. The casualty figure takes account of lost output (which includes any non-wage payments paid by the employer), medical and ambulance costs and human costs based on willingness to pay values representing pain, grief and suffering. The accident figure is higher because it includes non-casualty specific costs such as the costs of policing, insurance and administrative costs and damage to property, and because on average more than one casualty is involved in each accident.
	Included within these values are the costs to public funds for medical, ambulance and police costs (emergency services) which in 2004 averaged at 817 per fatal casualty and 7,076 per fatal accident. In addition some element of the lost output cost would be considered as a cost to public funds.

Roads

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government funding has been allocated to East Riding of Yorkshire council for road improvements in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The following table shows the funding allocated to The East Riding of Yorkshire council in the local transport capital settlements since 1997-98. The funding allocation includes the integrated transport block, road maintenance block and approximately 5 million provided in 2004-05 for the replacement of the Dutch River Bridge.
	The integrated transport block allocations are available for local authorities to use on road and public transport improvements, according to their local priorities.
	
		
			  East Riding of Yorkshire council 
			   Total funding (000) 
			 1997-98 1,824 
			 1998-99 856 
			 1999-2000 2,378 
			 2000-01 2,879 
			 2001-02 7,598 
			 2002-03 8,061 
			 2003-04 10,876 
			 2004-05 16,958 
			 2005-06 10,372 
		
	
	In addition central funding support for services, including routine highways services, is provided through revenue support grant. This is not allocated by the Government between individual council services.

Roads

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce  (a) the regional funding allocation for the South West and  (b) funding for the upgrade of the A358.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the South West region's advice on the priority it attaches to the upgrade of the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton and other major transport schemes in the South West. We hope to announce our response to the region's advice before the parliamentary summer recess.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine TB

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the case for the planned badger cull since the publication of his Department's most recent figures for new cases of notified bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: We welcome the fact that the number of new bovine TB incidents in Great Britain overall has decreased over the last few months. However, given the cyclical nature of the disease it is too early to draw any conclusions about whether this is a temporary or more sustained reduction and we will continue to monitor the position closely. The reduction is likely to be caused by a complex combination of factors.
	In considering whether to cull badgers, we are taking into account all the evidence including the science, and considering how an effective cull might be delivered on the ground. Any policy must form part of a holistic approach to bovine TB that balances cattle and wildlife controls.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members of the Gamma Interferon Working Group are; and when each was appointed.

Ben Bradshaw: Members of the working group were drawn from officials across the Department, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the State Veterinary Service, the Welsh Assembly Government and SEERAD. They were appointed in October 2005.

Brixham Fish Market

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 887W, on Brixham Fish Market, what the normal procedures referred to are; and when he expects a decision on the new fish market at Brixham to be made.

Ben Bradshaw: In England, Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance grant applications are considered in quarterly competitive tranches. Applications are assessed by an internal panel of representatives from DEFRA, the Marine Fisheries Agency and the Regional Development Agencies. Those applications that appear to the panel to best match the criteria are prioritised for funding within budgetary limits. In this instance, the panel considered the Torbay council application on 25 May. A final decision will be made when an assessment of the potential impact of a possible restriction of scallop dredging in Lyme Bay is completed. I expect this to be within the next few weeks.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 12 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms C. Greenhalgh.

Ben Bradshaw: The letter has been transferred to the Cabinet Office as the Department with responsibility for policy on civil contingency planning. Unfortunately, there was a delay in transferring the letter, for which I apologise to my right hon. Friend.

Disposable Nappies

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the time taken for a disposable nappy to decompose.

Ben Bradshaw: The Wisard software tool used by the Environment Agency (EA) in their report, Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK, assumed a 500 year time boundary for leachate in landfill. The EA therefore concluded that it would take that amount of time for the plastic part of a disposable nappy to decompose. The paper-fluff and faeces should take approximately 100 and 10 years respectively to degrade.

Field Mapping

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of accuracy in field mapping by the Rural Payments Agency; and what measures his Department is undertaking to improve accuracy.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 27 June 2006
	The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for the maintenance of the Rural Land Register (RLR), and information from the RLR is used to support claims to the Single Payment Scheme. The process of digitising land and amending existing land registrations has been amended recently, with activity brought back onto RPA's main computer system. This followed a period when an outsourced provider was used to digitise land during a period of exceptionally high demand.
	The digitisation process itself includes a number of quality checks to ensure that the correct land parcel and area are digitised. Where errors are found they are corrected before maps are issued to customers. Further amendments are made where customers identify issues with the maps they receive. RPA is aware of a number of cases where there have been issues with maps sent to customers. The re-establishment of an in-house process will aid the cross check of new and amended land areas to customer details.

Fish Farms

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the outbreak of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia at a fish farm on a tributary of the Ouse in Yorkshire; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of the disease;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to instigate the compulsory slaughter of diseased fish reared on fish farms;
	(3)  if his Department will compensate those fish farm owners who have their stock compulsorily slaughtered as a result of disease; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 903W.
	On 19 June, the National Control Centre of CEFAS, Weymouth Laboratory confirmed that viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) has been detected in a sample of grayling taken from the River Nidd below the outlet of the farm infected with the disease, although the infected fish showed no clinical signs of the disease. Further comprehensive sampling and testing is taking place on fish in the river, both below and above the infected farm.
	Fish disease experts at CEFAS advise that although there is no scientific evidence that VHS virus infection causes significant outbreaks in wild freshwater fish stocks, any persisting infection in wild stocks could be a source of infection or re-infection for trout farms in the vicinity through VHS virus contamination of the river supply to the farm.
	There are no plans at present to carry out compulsory slaughter of fish on farms in the areas of the River Ouse and River Don affected by the current outbreak but the matter will be kept under review. No further cases of VHS have been detected on fish farms.

Fish Farms

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the locations are of fish farms on which the presence of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia has been detected in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia was confirmed in rainbow trout at Nidderdale Trout Farm, Low Laithe, Summerbridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 4BU on 26 May 2006. No further cases of the disease have been detected so far at any other farm during a comprehensive sampling and testing programme.

Fish Farms

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the incidence and spread of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia among farmed fish populations.

Ben Bradshaw: Following the confirmation of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) in farmed rainbow trout on a fish farm in Yorkshire on 26 May 2006, my Department, through its Executive agency CEFAS, commissioned an epizootiological investigation into the source of the infection. This investigation includes the testing of farmed and wild fish populations which may have had contact with the infected stock, as well as all of the other potential pathways of disease transmission.
	The Department has acknowledged the seriousness and potential impact of this most important disease on the UK aquaculture industry, and has previously funded research projects on epidemiology and mathematical modelling of disease outbreaks, the pathogenicity and transmission of different strains of the virus, and studies on the detection of the virus in fish and cell cultures.

Fishing Fleets

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of the EU fund for the modernisation of fishing fleets he expects to be allocated to British-owned vessels.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 June 2006
	No decisions have been taken on what will be funded under the new EU fisheries fund (EFF). The UK expects to receive, subject to confirmation, around 112 million from the EU; the overall EU resources available for the fund will be 3,849 million.
	The operational programme to implement the EFF will set out priorities for using the fund and we will consult on this later in the year. Modernising the fishing fleet is only part of the range of measures available, and we do not want to fund anything which could increase capacity.
	Our over-arching aim is to have a sector which is sustainable and profitable and supports strong local communities, managed effectively as an integral part of coherent policies for the marine environment.

Freshwater Fish

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to introduce a compensation scheme in response to any need for the compulsory slaughter of freshwater fish stocks; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 June 2006
	My Department has no plans to introduce such a scheme. Under successive Governments, compensation has not been available for the compulsory slaughter of fish due to an outbreak of serious fish diseases; this remains my Department's policy.

Household Waste

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government has to reduce household waste.

Ben Bradshaw: The waste minimisation programme run by the Government-funded Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) is working to stem the growth of household waste. This is part of a package of measures to enable the UK to meet the requirements of the landfill directive and move towards sustainable waste management.
	As part of the programme, WRAP is working with 13 major retailers to reduce the amount of waste from supermarkets, including looking for ways to redesign packaging as well as support for research and development into waste minimisation. It is also working with local authorities to establish greater participation in home composting through its targeted National Home Composting Programme.
	In its recent consultation on the review of its Waste Strategy, the Government identified the importance of waste prevention for reducing waste, including in the household. So far only limited progress is being made to prevent waste, and so more needs to be done. The revised Waste Strategy, due to be published later this year, will identify what further steps should be taken.
	The revised Waste Strategy will also outline what can be done to build on recent improvements in household recycling. The consultation on the review proposed target increases for household waste recycling to 40 per cent. by 2010, 45 per cent. by 2015 and 50 per cent. by 2020.
	Local authorities received 45 million in 2005-06, 105 million in 2006-07 and 110 million in 2007-08 under the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant to help them develop new and more efficient ways to deliver waste reduction and increase recycling and diversion from landfill.

Landfill Directive

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what percentage of the biodegradable waste required to meet the first EU Landfill Directive has been diverted from landfill in the UK;
	(2)  whether local authorities will be financially liable for the UK's compliance in meeting the EU Landfill Directive's targets.

Ben Bradshaw: Article 5(2) of the EC Landfill Directive sets three target years (2006, 2009 and 2016) by which member states must reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill in proportion to the amount produced in 1995.
	The directive also allows member states which landfilled over 80 per cent. of their municipal waste in 1995 to postpone the targets by up to four years. The Government have informed the European Commission of their intention to make use of this four-year derogation, which means the target years for the UK are 2010, 2013 and 2020.
	The UK target for 2010 is to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to no more than 75 per cent. of that produced in 1995. For England, this equates to 11.2 million tones in 2010. It is estimated that in 2003-04, around 14.7 million tonnes was disposed of in this way, with a provisional estimate of a further reduction to around 13.9 million tonnes in 2004-05 (i.e. 124 per cent. of the 2010 target).
	In preparation to the first 2010 target year, the UK have already taken steps to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS), was launched in April 2005, and is one of the Government's key measures to encourage progressive reductions in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that disposal authorities are able to send to landfill sites.
	Should any waste disposal authority have landfilled more waste than it holds allowances for, it can use the sixth month reconciliation period (from March to the end of September), to trade, borrow or bank allowances to manage their liabilities. Any waste disposal authority which has landfilled biodegradable municipal waste in excess of the allowances it holds at the end of the reconciliation period will be liable to a financial penalty of 150 per tonne (according to section 9(2) of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003).
	The LATS regulations also provide for supplementary penalties (in addition to any penalties for exceeding allowances) that are proportional to (a) any fines imposed on the UK in respect of obligations under the Landfill Directive and (b) the amount by which an authority exceeds its allowance in a Landfill Directive target year, or subsequent scheme years following Landfill Directive target years.
	Due to the nature of a tradable allowances scheme, it is not possible to assess accurately now whether any waste disposal authority is likely to landfill biodegradable municipal waste in excess to that which it holds allowances for until the Environment Agency has completed the reconciliation process for the LATS year 2005-06, expected by the end of September.

Marine Bill

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to bring forward a draft Marine Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish a draft Marine Bill; what steps are being taken to ensure that the Marine Bill is introduced and passed at the earliest opportunity; and how the Marine Bill will protect the marine environment of the UK.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government expect to publish the draft Marine Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA published a consultation document on 29 March 2006 setting out the Government's thinking in a number of key areas to be addressed by a Marine Bill. These include marine spatial planning, nature conservation, licensing reform, and the possibility of setting up a new marine organisation. We had already undertaken initial consultation on some fisheries issues that will also be dealt with in the Bill.
	The final scope of our proposals for a Marine Bill, including the strategic direction we should take, will not be decided until we have fully considered the responses to the consultation exercise. The consultation period ended on 23 June 2006. We will publish a summary of the responses within three months.
	We will need to take these responses into account before any decision is made on the timing of further consultation on detailed proposals for a draft Bill. Introduction of a Marine Bill will follow later in this Parliament, subject to the availability of parliamentary time. We want to move forward swiftly, but this is a complex area and we must make sure that we take sufficient time to consult effectively and get our proposals right.
	The Government's primary purpose for a new Marine Bill is to introduce a stronger framework for the seas, based on marine spatial planning, that balances conservation, energy and resource needs. Together with a planning system for the marine area, we have proposed a number of possible approaches for the reform of marine nature conservation legislation. These include new mechanisms for the conservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity, including protected areas for important species and habitats.

Marine Conservation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to promote marine conservation.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are committed to a Marine Bill which will introduce a new framework, based on marine spatial planning, that balances conservation, energy and resource needs. The aim is to obtain best value from different uses of our valuable marine resources by maintaining and protecting the ecosystems on which they depend. We are developing integrated criteria for the selection of marine protected areas (MPAs), including those for wider nature conservation.
	We are also considering how many additional protected areas might be needed to protect marine ecosystems and biodiversity and fulfil the international commitments we have made in this area.

Poultry Industry

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had within the EU on the provision of financial support to the poultry industry  (a) in the UK and  (b) other member states.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 June 2006
	A number of recent discussions involving the Commission and member states took place, between 7 April 2006 and 21 June 2006. These culminated in the adoption of an amendment to Article 14 of Council Regulations 2777/75 and 2771/75 on the Common Organisation of the Market in Eggs and Poultrymeat, respectively.
	The amendment provides legal powers to make special support measures available to member states in the event of significant evaporation of consumer confidence in poultry products as a direct result of avian influenza, causing the market to collapse.

Radon Gas

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice the Government have issued on the account which should be taken of levels of radon gas in decisions on building new schools.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Resistance to contaminants, including radon, is covered by requirement C1 (2) of the Building Regulations. This requirement applies to all buildings including schools.

Recycling

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has received from local authorities on the recycling of televisions and computer monitors containing cathode ray tubes;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the national operational capacity for the recycling of televisions and computer monitors containing cathode ray tubes;
	(3)  how many  (a) televisions and  (b) monitors containing cathode ray tubes have been recycled from local authority civic amenity sites since July 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: No such representations from local authorities have been received. The majority of inquiries on the recycling of televisions and computer monitors received by DEFRA officials have been referred to the Department of Trade and Industry, who lead on implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive.
	There are an increasing number of WEEE recovery plants opening in anticipation of the UK's implementation of the WEEE directive that are capable of dealing with waste televisions and computer monitors. These plants are regulated by the Environment Agency under a waste management licence.
	Information on the number of televisions and monitors which have been recycled from local authority civic amenity sites is not currently gathered by the Department.

Recycling

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many public recycling bins are available in London; and what estimate he has made of the cost of  (a) maintaining,  (b) emptying and  (c) replacing these bins in 2006-07.

Ben Bradshaw: Latest available data show that London has 38 civic amenity sites and 2,715 recycling sites. A recycling site usually consists of more than one bin and, therefore, data are not available for numbers of public recycling bins in London. No estimate has been made centrally regarding costs.
	A range of information and statistics on waste and recycling in London is available from Capitalwastefacts (an online fact-file developed by the Greater London Authority and London Remade), which is available at the following address:
	http://www.capitalwastefacts.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx.

Rubbish Collection (Charging)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of variable charging for rubbish collection on levels of fly-tipping.

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of the introduction of variable charging for household waste.

Ben Bradshaw: We have no current plans to introduce charging for household waste. The Government are considering what further steps are needed to tackle household waste as part of the review of the Waste Strategy, which will be published later this year. We are also looking at the spending pressures local authorities face, with regard to waste management, ahead of the comprehensive spending review.
	Variable charging is one of a number of tools that could be used to encourage waste minimisation and recycling of household waste. Local authorities already have powers to run incentive schemes or require householders to separate their waste for recycling. Recent research shows that at least half of English local authorities have run, or are running, some form of incentive scheme and some, such as Barnet, require householders to separate their recycling.
	Many countries, including some in the European Union, have introduced successful household waste charging schemes, achieving reductions in waste and increases in the separation of waste for recycling. (Evidence from studies of this international experience shows a small increase in fly-tipping incidents when schemes are introduced, but this quickly tails off where schemes are well designed and effective enforcement action is taken.)

Rural Enterprise Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to continue to process all applications for the Rural Enterprise Scheme, Processing and Marketing grant that are received up until 30 June; what the status is of the bid from Perry's Cider of Dowlish Wake, Ilminster; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 27 June 2006
	All applications that are received by the closing date of 30 June and which meet the eligibility requirements for the Rural Enterprise Scheme and Processing and Marketing Grant will be processed and given due consideration for funding.
	The bids from Perry's Cider of Dowlish Wake, Ilminster are currently undergoing technical assessment and, subject to meeting eligibility requirements, will be considered for funding by the RDS South West Regional Appraisal Panel at their final meeting on 25 and 26 July.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has undertaken into live tests for bovine spongiform encephalopathy; and whether this included studies of prion proteins.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 June 2006
	Scientific investigation of a live animal test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been a priority part of the research programmes funded by DEFRA and other Departments for several years. Information on these projects can be found on the DEFRA and Medical Research Council websites:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/research/project data
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/current-research/current-mrc_tse_portfolio.htm
	A wide range of possible diagnostic markers of the disease have been studied, with a particular focus on prion proteins.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued on whether cattle suspected of being infected with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy must be culled within a specified period under EC Regulation 999/2001.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 26 June 2006
	State Veterinary Service (SVS) staff are instructed to slaughter cattle suspected of being affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) at the time of their examination. In a minority of cases, the SVS arrange for live suspects to be transported to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in Weybridge, subject to an assessment of fitness to travel and journey time considerations. BSE suspects received at the VLA are slaughtered within 72 hours of arrival. However, most BSE suspects are slaughtered on-farm.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Waste and Resources Action Programme's total annual expenditure was for  (a) projects,  (b) salaries and  (c) office premises in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   
			   Project  Salary  Premises 
			 2001-02 4,729,000 1,295,000 198,000 
			 2002-03 12,475,000 2,357,000 233,000 
			 2003-04 26,278,000 4,049,000 346,000 
			 2004-05 43,634,000 6,577,000 450,000 
			 2005-06 68,539,000 8,564,000 497,000

Waste Exports

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to tackle the illegal export of waste televisions and computer monitors containing cathode ray tubes.

Ben Bradshaw: Waste electrical electronic equipment, such as television sets and computer monitors containing cathode ray tubes, are classified as hazardous waste for the purposes of shipment out of the UK. Under the Waste Shipment Regulation, the export of hazardous waste to non-Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is prohibited. Exports of this waste to other OECD countries is permitted for recovery operations but such shipments would be subject to prior informed consent procedures.
	The illegal shipment of waste abroad for disposal under the guise of recycling is totally unacceptable and the UK Government and competent authorities, such as the Environment Agency, take such matters extremely seriously. The Environment Agency will continue to monitor the scale and destination of waste at major UK ports through ongoing inspections, and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where evidence of illegal activity is found.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Clear Skies Scheme

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of the total funding pot under the Clear Skies scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: The Clear Skies programme had a 13.25 million budget over three years beginning January 2003.

Housing

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what value the current total funding pot has under Stream 1 of the low carbon buildings programme for householders.

Malcolm Wicks: The current funding for Stream 1 household applications under the low carbon buildings programme is 6.5 million over three years for the financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09.

Landlords (Retained Deposits)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many actions have been initiated by trading standards officers against companies which have unfairly retained deposits paid on student accommodation;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of money unlawfully retained by companies from deposits on student accommodation in the past 12 months;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to encourage action against companies which unlawfully retain deposits paid by students who have rented student accommodation.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that where tenants pay a deposit to their landlord in good faith it will be returned at the end of the tenancy, providing the tenant does not cause any damage or theft to the property. Provisions contained in Part 6 of the Housing Act 2004 will make it a requirement that any landlord who offers assured shorthold tenancies and wishes to take a monetary deposit must safeguard that deposit with a tenancy deposit scheme (TDS).
	The Department does not hold information on the actions of trading standards officers or the level of deposits that may have been withheld by landlords.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his policy is on investment by UK companies in Zimbabwe; and what steps he is taking to improve standards of corporate behaviour in Zimbabwe.

Ian McCartney: The EU does not have economic or trade sanctions with Zimbabwe, and therefore we do not place any barriers on investment in Zimbabwe. UK companies will take decisions on investing in Zimbabwe on the basis of their commercial assessment of those investments.
	There are no specific initiatives to improve corporate behaviour in Zimbabwe. HMG are however committed to promoting responsible business practice by British companies wherever they operate. We do this through a combination of sector-specific activities, such as;
	The extractive industries transparency initiative, which aims to increase transparency over payment by companies to Government and Government linked entities, as well as transparency over revenues by those host country Governments.
	The voluntary principles on security and human rights which aims to maintain the safety and security of extractive operations, whilst ensuring that human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected.
	HMG also support international organisations active on corporate responsibility such as the UN global compact, which seeks to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burmese Refugees

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what help he has made available to support relief groups in Thailand assisting those people displaced from their homes in Burma.

Gareth Thomas: There are three types of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burma. These are (with the latest available numbers, from October 2005):
	(i) people in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas administered by ethnic nationalities (340,000);
	(ii) villagers who have been evicted by the Burmese Government and moved into designated relocation sites (108,000); and
	(iii) civilians hiding from the Burmese Army in areas most affected by armed conflict (92,000).
	The recent military offensive against the Karen people has swelled the number of civilians hiding in conflict areas by at least 15,000. DFID's approach to providing emergency assistance to these IDPs has been to use our comparative advantage (the fact that we have a small presence inside the country and a strong network of relationships with ethnic minority and other groups) to reach the IDPs using local community groups inside Burma. This is a complementary approach to the use of relief teams operating cross border from Thailand, and it enables access to IDPs who would not be reached by any other means, and through a mechanism which is much less well supported by other donors. The development of civil society within the country is also a fundamental step in a successful transition to democracy.
	The number of IDPs that we can reach from inside the country is limited. Access is difficult, and the small local groups with whom we are working do not currently have the capacity to deliver greater volumes of emergency relief, although we are working to strengthen their ability to do more. Those delivering assistance to IDPs cross border from Thailand face similar challenges. Therefore we recognise the importance of maintaining co-ordination with all donors (both those delivering assistance cross border, and those working inside the country) to ensure that together we manage to reach as many IDPs as possible.
	DFID also provides support to IDPs in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas in eastern Burma through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to which we provide 500,000 a year, of which approximately 75 per cent. is attributable to work with displaced people in this area.
	In addition, our health, education and rural livelihood projects provide assistance in eastern Burma, and support internally displaced people in temporary settlements and designated relocation sites there, as well as other vulnerable people. For example, in Karen State, our Fund for HIV/AIDS in Burma supports World Vision projects in two townships, Save the Children UK projects in four townships and Care projects in five townships, as well as supporting other national non-governmental organisations (NGOs). DFID-funded rural livelihoods and pre-primary education projects are also about to start in Karen State.
	DFID is also providing support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working among displaced Burmese people in the refugee camps on the Thai side of the Thai-Burma borderas a grant to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) of 1.8 million over three years. In addition, the UK contributes approximately the same amount again as its share of the EC's support to the TBBC. The British embassy in Bangkok advocates on behalf of Burmese refugees living in Thailand through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to improve the situation in the refugee camps in Thailand and to bring about a relaxation of the regulations prohibiting freedom of movement and employment outside the camps.

Timber (Papua New Guinea)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received regarding illegal logging in Papua New Guinea; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has been informed of the seriousness of illegal logging in Papua New Guinea by my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Roger Berry) and by the British high commissioner. DFID has no programmes in Papua New Guinea through which it can offer assistance. However, DFID has raised this matter with the European Commission which will consider assistance.

DEFENCE

Abuse of Power Reports

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons have been subject to disciplinary or administrative procedures as a result of failure to report an incident of abuse of power in the Army in the past 12 months.

Adam Ingram: None. The most recent case concerned Corporal Daniel Kenyon who was convicted in February 2005 of failing to report an incident involving the abuse of Iraqi civilians.

Afghanistan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long he expects British troops to be based in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: As announced by the then Secretary of State for Defence my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid) on 26 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1529, the Helmand Task Force is planned to be a three year deployment. It is impossible to predict exactly how long there will be a UK military presence of somekind, as part of wider international support to the Government of Afghanistan, beyond that period.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with British manufacturers on the decision of the Belgian Government to ban cluster munitions.

Adam Ingram: None.

Combined Cadet Force

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in implementing the plans announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in February 2006 to create branches of the Combined Cadet Force in state schools.

Tom Watson: Since the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement in February 2006, the Ministry of Defence has been working with the Department for Education and Skills and the Treasury to develop plans for a pilot scheme that will further extend Combined Cadet Forces in the state school sector. As was announced on the 27 June 2006 we will be establishing six new pilot schemes in schools across England. Funding arrangements have just been put in place by the Treasury and we are now discussing arrangements with schools who have already expressed an interest in establishing a Combined Cadet Force.

Deepcut (Document Disclosure)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he wrote to the chief constable of Surrey police regarding the disclosure of documents to the families of  (a) Sean Benton,  (b) Cheryl James and  (c) Geoff Gray; if he will copy the letter to the legal representatives of those families; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Adam Ingram: I wrote to the chief constable of the Surrey police regarding Recommendation 33 of the Deepcut Review on 13 June 2006. A copy of the letter will be provided to the legal representatives of the families concerned. A copy of the letter will also be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those Government Bills sponsored by his Department that are still to be introduced during the 2005-06 session.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Leader of the House on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1432W.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list contracts in excess of 500,000 his Department has entered into in connection with Iraq since the beginning of 2003; on what date each was entered into; whether the civilian contractor in each contract had military connections; what the nationality of each civilian contractor was in each case; what each contract was for; whether each contract was awarded following competitive bidding; whether work was wholly carried out in Iraq; and what estimate he has made in each case of the comparable cost of similar work carried out in the UK.

Adam Ingram: I will place three lists of contracts in the Library of the House. The first shows works contracted by the Multi-National Division (South-East) Civil Secretariat with total value in excess of 500,000, and wholly carried out in Iraq, from 2003, detailing the company, service provided, and date each contract was entered into. Second are those contracts let by the Defence Communications Service Agency for and in support of British operations in Iraq. And third are those contracts placed for movement of freight or personnel by air or surface means, awarded following competition. Two of these contracts (DTMA/CB/0803 and DTMA/CB/0813) were let for air support entirely within Iraq/surrounding area. Two further contracts (DTMA/CB/0703 and DTMA/CB/0720) were let specifically for aeromedical tasks between Cyprus and the UK. The remaining movement contracts were placed for the transport of freight/personnel mainly between the UK/Europe and Iraq/Gulf States in support of Op TELIC. Comparable costing for these is inappropriate. Further details are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which dates since February 2006  (a) he and  (b) his Ministers have visited British soldiers injured in Iraq; and what locations were visited on each occasion.

Des Browne: Defence Ministers frequently visit members of the armed forces injured in Iraq. Since February Defence Ministers have visited injured personnel on four occasions as follows:
	My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid), visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base on 18 March 2006.
	I too visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base, Iraq on 18 May 2006. The Minister of State for the Armed Forces visited injured personnel as part of his visit on 8-9 May 2006 to 7th Armoured Brigade in Germany.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Defence my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) visited the Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 16 June 2006.

Iraq

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average time has elapsed before inquiries into the deaths of British service personnel in Iraq have commenced.

Des Browne: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, the Service Police initiate an investigation immediately they are notified of the death of any member of the armed forces in Iraq. Wherever possible, it is their policy to issue an Initial Case Report within 24 hours of notification unless prevented by operational circumstances.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role is of the Missile Defence Centre within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The UK Missile Defence Centre was opened by the former Minister of State for Defence Procurement on 18 July 2003. It provides the primary technical interface between the UK and the US Governments in this area of research and development. The centre is jointly resourced by Government and Industry, and will act as a showcase for the specialist expertise and equipment which UK Industry has to offer to the US Missile Defence programme. The MDC also facilitates the exchange of information on the evolving US system, to inform the technical advice provided to policy makers.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions the UK Government has had with the US authorities on acquiring ballistic missile defence  (a) technology and  (b) equipment from the US.

Des Browne: We have had no recent discussions with the US about the acquisition, in the form of purchase or ownership, of ballistic missile defence technology or equipment. We continue to work closely with them on co-operative technology programmes through the UK Missile Defence Centre.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each Session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

Tom Watson: None.

Royal Military Police

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference were of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's thematic review of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch; what the target date is for completion; and what arrangements he plans to make for publication.

Adam Ingram: The terms of reference for the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) inspection of the Royal Military Police (RMP) Special Investigations Branch (SIB) are as follows:
	(a) To inspect SIB specialist policing functions in the investigation of major and serious crimes, including investigations conducted on operations, and to identify any areas for improvement (in the context of current good practice, where applicable).
	(b) To identify any other transferable good practice emerging from inspection.
	(c) To alert Deputy Provost Marshal (Investigations) of any issues that may impact upon the conduct of a live investigation.
	(d) To deliver a draft report to the Provost Marshal (Army) for his consideration on behalf of the Adjutant-General and Director General Security and Safety.
	(e) To deliver a final report for the attention of the same.
	The inspection of the RMP SIB started on 1 April 2006 and the HMIC is due to provide a report by 31 July 2006.
	The final report will be published, both in hard copy and on the HMIC website.

Royal Military Police

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of bringing the Royal Military Police Special Investigations Branch under the oversight of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Military Police (RMP) Special Investigations Branch (SIB) has a minimal interface with the general public in comparison to their civilian counterparts. As a result, complaints by third parties unconnected to the armed forces about the conduct of the RMP (SIB) are far less likely to occur. We do not therefore consider it appropriate for the RMP (SIB) to be brought under the oversight of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
	However, a comprehensive redress of complaints system exists for all service personnel, including service police personnel, who wish to complain or express a grievance about any matter related to their service. Improvements were proposed under the Armed Forces Bill which included a redress panel system where panels would include an external, independent member for certain types of complaints, and an external reviewer focusing on process, delay, fairness, and the effectiveness of the procedure, and providing recommendations for improvements where necessary. Further to the Deepcut Review, we plan to extend the role of the external reviewer, renamed the Service Complaints Commissioner, who would have statutory powers to receive a complaint or allegation from a service person, family or other third party, to place it in the hands of the chain of command and to be notified of the outcome. The Commissioner would have direct access to Ministers and would publish an annual report on the complaints process.
	These proposed arrangements will now be subject to the full process of parliamentary scrutiny in the context of the remaining stages of the Armed Forces Bill's passage through Parliament.

Royal Military Police

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training is available to members of the Royal Military Police in the conduct of European Convention of Human Rights Article 2compliant investigations into an overseas death in barracks.

Adam Ingram: Members of the Royal Military Police (RMP) Special Investigation Branch (SIB) follow standard police investigative procedures and receive training that conforms to UK Home Office standards, modified to take account of the Military Criminal Justice System. As such, both their training, either basic or continuation, and their investigative techniques, are compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Biodiversity

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department plans to take to monitor the extent to which public bodies which report to her comply, from October, with their duty to conserve biodiversity in exercising their functions, under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

Shaun Woodward: Under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, all public bodies have a duty to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity in the exercising of their functions. There is no statutory obligation on Departments to monitor the extent to which public bodies comply with this duty. However, we understand DEFRA is working with a wide range of partners to develop guidance for public bodies to support the implementation of this duty and will involve all relevant Departments on the development of guidance.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average cost to her Department was of replying to a letter written  (a) by an hon. Member and  (b) by a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

David Lammy: The information requested is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 76-78WS.

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of her Department.

David Lammy: My Department's finance director is Nicholas Holgate. He has a degree in economics and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. His relevant experience comprises 18 years' employment in HM Treasury, including three years as head of strategy, finance and purchasing.

Horse Racing

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to enable the Government to meet their manifesto commitment to end their financial involvement in horse racing.

Richard Caborn: The Government's 2005 manifesto commitment with regards to horse racing stated,
	Having passed the necessary legislation the Government remains committed to completing the sale of the Tote to a Racing Trust.
	My Department is pursuing a closed sale of the Tote to a consortium of racing interests.

Horse Racing

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consultation  (a) has taken place and  (b) is planned on the extension of the horse racing levy beyond 2009; and with whom.

Richard Caborn: No decision has been taken to extend of the Horserace Betting Levy beyond 2009, although the matter is under consideration by my Department following the publication of the phase two report of the Future Funding of Racing Review Group, Chaired by Lord Donoughue of Ashton.
	In order to inform this consideration the Review Group subsequently produced a further report (a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses) aimed at identifying improvements that could be made to the Levy Board's operation. The group received submissions from:
	Arena Leisure Plc
	Ascot Racecourse
	The Association of British Bookmakers
	The British Horseracing Board
	Gala Coral Group Plc
	GG Media Ltd.
	Industry Committee (Horseracing) Ltd.
	The Jockey Club
	Ladbrokes Plc
	The National Association of Bookmakers
	The National Trainers Federation
	Northern Racing Ltd.
	The Racecourse Association
	The Racehorse Owners' Association
	The Rails Bookmakers' Association
	Satellite Information Services Ltd.
	Timothy Hale (in support of the RCA)
	Watson Bookmakers Ltd.
	Weatherbys Ltd.
	William Hill Plc
	Should the Government decide to extend the levy beyond 2009 further consultation will be carried out.

Horse Racing

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her statement of 18 March 2005,  Official Report, column 29WS, on funding of horse racing, what progress has been made in working with football leagues to develop solutions to the funding difficulties arising from a judgment by the European Court of Justice.

Richard Caborn: I have met with representatives of the premier league, football leagues, Scottish football leagues on a number of occasions to discuss the impact of the European Court of Justice's ruling on database rights.
	I understand that a deal is now under negotiation between Football Dataco, which licenses football fixture data, and British bookmakers which I am optimistic will provide guaranteed funding for the football leagues in the short to medium term.

Internet Gambling

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from gambling addiction support and campaign groups on problem gambling on the internet.

Richard Caborn: We have received a number of representations from gambling addiction support groups, faith groups and others about problem gambling and the internet.
	We are engaged in regular discussions with these bodies via my Department's Gambling Act Implementation Community Liaison Group.

Public Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2005,  Official Report, column 1223W, on consultations, what mechanisms are in place to ensure value for money in public consultations.

David Lammy: In order to ensure that consultation is as effective as possible, my Department follows the Government's code of practice on consultation. By following the code i.e. carrying out comprehensive consultation and taking on board the views of those likely to be affected and the views of experts, the Government are more likely to meet its policy objectives. Following each formal consultation, the DCMS is obliged, under the code, to give feedback regarding the responses received and how the consultation process influenced the policy in question.

Radio Licences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will bring forward legislation to allow her Department  (a) to intervene in and  (b) to review the decisions taken by Ofcom in connection with the granting of radio licences; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Government have no plans to introduce powers to allow them to intervene in Ofcom's licensing decisions, nor do they believe there is a case for a review at this time.

Radio Licences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what appeals mechanism is available to radio stations which have their request for a radio licence rejected by Ofcom; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: If an unsuccessful applicant believes that Ofcom has acted unlawfully then they can ask for the decision to be judicially reviewed.

Radio Licences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what radio licences have been granted in each county in England and Wales since the enactment of the Communications Act 2003; what applications for such licences have been rejected; what the reason for rejection was in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), as independent regulator for the communications sector. Accordingly my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Scottish Bed Tax

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of a bed tax on the Scottish tourism industry.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has not made such an assessment. As is appropriate in the case of an independent review, my Department will fully assess the potential impact of any recommendations that Sir Michael Lyons makes in his final report on the function, future role and funding of local government once he has made them.

The Public, West Bromwich

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether work has recommenced on The Public arts organisation in West Bromwich.

David Lammy: Some enabling works on the site of The Public will take place during the summer, but it is anticipated that more significant activity will recommence on the site in early October.
	Following the agreement of a rescue package for the arts organisation The Public Charity Ltd., the artistic content and gallery commissions have been reviewed and work on testing the content for the gallery will begin shortly.

The Public, West Bromwich

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the role of the Arts Council is in the tendering process for the future use of The Public in West Bromwich.

David Lammy: Arts Council England are part of a stakeholder group which currently also includes the other funders, Sandwell metropolitan borough council, Advantage West Midlands and the Government office for the west midlands. The brief for the tendering process was written with the joint agreement of this group. Representatives of Arts Council England were involved in the shortlisting of submissions and were on the interview panel for the shortlisted proposals.

Tourism

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many tourist information centres were  (a) in operation,  (b) opened and  (c) closed in England in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many tourists used information centres in England in each year since 2000;
	(3)  how much funding Tourism England committed to supporting tourist information centres in each year since 2000.

Shaun Woodward: Most tourist information centres (TICs) are controlled by local authorities and not funded or managed centrally. The provision of tourism services by local authorities, including TICs, is a discretionary matter for them.
	However, VisitBritain has recently conducted a consultation on a strategy for providing national leadership for the tourist information network in England. The proposals, put forward after extensive discussion with the National TIC Steering Group and regional partners, include a range of actions designed to increase efficiency and service standards; increase revenue opportunities; and ensure integration with the 'Englandnet' business support tool.
	It is hoped that these actions will strengthen the TIC brand and allow VisitBritain to market the network in Britain and overseas.
	Until March 2006, VisitBritain part-funded One NorthEast and the Yorkshire Tourist Board (YTB) to conduct co-ordination of the network. Between 2000 and 2003, this work was carried out by the regional tourist boards, led by the English Tourism Council. The costs of this work centrally were as follows:
	
		
			
			 2000-01 110,000 
			 2001-02 100,000 
			 2002-03 97,070 
			 2003-04 56,500 
			 2004-05 56,500 
			 2005-06 56,500 
		
	
	Unfortunately, detailed annual records of the number of TICs and their visitor numbers are not held centrally. There were approximately 560 TICs in 2000 and there are about 514 now. YTB made a rough estimate in 2002 that around 75 million visits were made to England's TICs. The acquisition of improved data on these matters is an important element of VisitBritain's current proposals.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Finance Director

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of the Electoral Commission.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not have a specific post of finance director, but that the responsibilities of its Director of Corporate Services, Roger Gough, include Finance, as well as Human Resources, IT, Procurement and Facilities. Mr. Gough has a Diploma in Management. Before becoming Director of Corporate Services at the Electoral Commission, Mr. Gough was a Director of Resources in the magistrates courts service for seven years.

TREASURY

Building Costs (2012 Olympics)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of possible inflation of building costs in  (a) London,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) England as a result of the construction work associated with the 2012 Olympics.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has made no estimate of the possible inflation of building costs as a result of the construction work associated with the 2012 Olympics. As announced in January, the Public Sector Construction Clients' Forum, set up by the Office of Government Commerce, is carrying out a project to examine the construction industry's capacity to deliver planned national capital construction programmes, including the provision of the Olympics infrastructure, in the period 2005 to 2015.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average cost was to his Department of replying to a letter written by  (a) an hon. Member,  (b) a Member of the House of Lords,  (c) a member of the public writing to a Minister at the Department and  (d) an internal letter written by another Minister, in the last period for which figures are available; and how much of the cost was accounted for by (i) officials time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

John Healey: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to correspondence from Members of both Houses of Parliament. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 76-78ws.
	Information relating to costs is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Custom Entry Clearances

Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, column 5767W, on AK-47s, what UK custom entry clearances have been issued to UK-based companies for the import into the UK from Bosnia of  (a) military vehicles and  (b) assault rifles since June 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: Since June 2003 UK Customs have issued six entry clearances to UK companies in respect of imports of military vehicles from Bosnia that have been recorded under Commodity Code heading 871 00000 which covers military vehicles.
	Since June 2003 UK Customs have issued nine entry clearances to UK companies in respect of imports under Commodity Code 9301 9000 (other military weapons, other than revolvers, pistols and arms in heading 9307). Entry clearance is issued on the basis that import licenses had been granted prior to importation.

Death Statistics

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that the data on deaths that would be released under clause 11 of the Police and Justice Bill cannot directly or indirectly be misused by commercial organisations; how the activities of commercial organisations will be monitored in relation to the use of such data; and what penalties would be available if the data were misused.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, 28 June 2006:
	As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what steps are to be taken to ensure that data on deaths that would be released under clause 11 of the Police and Justice Bill cannot directly or indirectly be misused by commercial organisations; how the activities of commercial organisations will be monitored in relation to the use of such data; and what penalties would be available if the data were misused. (80536)
	It is the case now that death registration data is in the public domain as soon as any death is registered. The data is, however, difficult to access in bulk in England and Wales and is not accessible using modern technology. The intention of the provision is to reduce the scope for criminal activity arising from the fraudulent use of a dead person's identity, and to do so by making data available more quickly and in a more accessible format than is permitted at present.
	It is recognised that provision of the data quickly and in bulk does create a need for additional controls. Any commercial organisation seeking to utilise data on deaths would need to demonstrate clearly that it would be used in such a way as to fulfil the intent of the clause by enabling the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences, and no data will be released unless that is the case. A regime is being designed, based on those criteria, to enable rigorous assessment of applications for receipt of the data.
	The data will be released subject to strict conditions, and subsequent misuse of it will, lead as a minimum to withdrawal of the supply of data to the organisation concerned; further penalties would depend on the nature of the improper use.

Death Statistics

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent death rate from heart disease was in  (a) Stoke-on-Trent,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) England.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the most recent death rate from heart disease was in (a) Stoke-on-Trent (b) the West Midlands and (c) England. I am replying in her absence. (80604)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2004 and these are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Death rates( 1)  from coronary heart disease( 2)  for Stoke-on-Trent local authority, West Midlands Government Office Region and England( 3) , by sex, 2004( 4) 
			   Stoke-on-Trent  West Midlands  England 
			 Male 215 157 155 
			 Female 85 73 73 
			 (1 )Rates per 100,000 population standardised to the European Standard Population. (2 )The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used are listed below: Coronary heart diseaseICD-10120-125 Deaths were selected using the original underlying cause. (3 )Usual residents of these areas. (4 )Deaths registered in 2004.

Invoice Payments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of bills presented by private organisations to  (a) HM Treasury and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs were paid within (i) 10 days, (ii) 20 days, (iii) 30 days, (iv) 60 days and (v) 90 days in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury aims to pay all invoices within contractual conditions or 30 days from the receipt of goods or service, whichever is the later. We monitor performance against the 30 day target. Further analysis could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	For the 12 month period ending 31 March 2006, 94.7 per cent. of undisputed Treasury and Debt Management Office invoices and 99.5 per cent. of undisputed Office of Government Commerce invoices were paid within 30 days. HMRC settled 98.8 per cent. of invoices within 30 days of receipt of goods or service.
	Improving payment performance continues to be a priority and is reported in the relevant resource accounts.

Long-term Unemployment

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) Hartlepool constituency,  (b) the Tees Valley sub-region and  (c) the North East Region were long-term unemployed in each year since 1989.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 28 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about unemployment. (80539)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1 shows the number of long-term unemployed for the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region for each 12 months ending February 1999 to February 2004, from the annual LFS, and for the 12 months to December 2004 from the APS. Data are not available for earlier years.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA). Table 2 shows the annual average number of people claiming ISA for more than 12 months resident in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region for the calendar years 1989-2005. Data are not available for the Hartlepool constituency prior to 1996.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of long-term unemployed( 1)  in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency,  the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region 
			  000 
			  12 months ending:  Hartlepool  Tees Valley sub-region  North East 
			 February 1999 2 9 33 
			 February 2000 1 11 33 
			 February 2001 1 10 28 
			 February 2002 1 7 24 
			 February 2003 1 6 20 
			 February 2004 1 5 17 
			 December 2004 1 5 15 
			 (1) 12 months and over.  Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.  Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months( 1 ) in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region; annual averages; 1989-2005 
			   Hartlepool  Tees Valley sub-region  North East 
			 1989 n/a 10,815 36,970 
			 1990 n/a 8,465 28,730 
			 1991 n/a 9,815 33,060 
			 1992 n/a 12,830 45,025 
			 1993 n/a 15,580 53,170 
			 1994 n/a 16,000 54,225 
			 1995 n/a 14,570 49,735 
			 1996 1,835 13,415 45,745 
			 1997 1,615 10,435 33,785 
			 1998 1,415 8,420 24,660 
			 1999 1,240 6,750 20,305 
			 2000 855 5,240 16,680 
			 2001 625 4,240 13,365 
			 2002 520 3,195 10,390 
			 2003 350 2,545 7,960 
			 2004 270 2,170 6,445 
			 2005 270 2,000 5,700 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Computerised claims only. Data rounded to nearest five for disclosure control.  Source: Jobcentre plus administrative system.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what records are kept in his Department of Private Members' Bills introduced; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury complies with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1967 and maintains such records of Private Members' Bills and other parliamentary business as may be required for operational purposes. Information relating to Private Members' Bills is available from published sources and from the House authorities.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Treasury and its agencies do not record recruitment, search and selection agency costs separate from other recruitment expenditure. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sickness Absence

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The information requested in respect of the Treasury is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			  Spells of sickness absence  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Two 125 165 193 
			 Three 71 71 85 
			 Four 46 47 62 
			 Five or more 43 57 64

Spring Departmental Report

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he plans to publish the HM Revenue and Customs Spring Departmental Report; in which month the Spring Report was published in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 June 2006
	The HMRC Spring Departmental Report 2006 will be published on 29 June 2006 (Cm6832).
	The following table gives details of the Spring Report publication dates as requested.
	
		
			  HMRC  Publication June 2005  Command number Cm6542 
			 Inland Revenue May 2004 May 2003 June 2002(1) 2001 Cm6225 Cm5925  Cm5428 No report published(2) 
			 HM Customs and Excise May 2004 May 2003 June 2002 April 2001 Cm6224 Cm5924  Cm5427 Cm5117 
			 (1 )This was published as Inland Revenue: the Government's Expenditure Plans for 2002-04 (2 )Inland Revenue: the Government's Expenditure Plans for 2000-01 to 2001-02 (Cm4117) was published in April 2000.

Tax Credits

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2006,  Official Report, column 2222W, on tax credits, what the results of the surveys to assess the effectiveness of tax credits communications were; and if he will place the results of the surveys in the Library.

Dawn Primarolo: Summaries of the tracking research have been placed in the Library of the House.

Teenage Pregnancy and Life Expectancy

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent  (a) teenage pregnancy rate and  (b) life expectancy rate was in (i) Stoke-on-Trent, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the most recent  (a) teenage pregnancy rate and  (b) life expectancy rate was in (i) Stoke-on-Trent, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England. I am replying in her absence. (80602)
	Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Teenage conception rates for 2004 (the most recent year for which data are available) are given in Table A. Data for 2004 are provisional.
	Figures for life expectancy at birth for English regions and local authorities are published annually by ONS based on three-year rolling averages. The most recent figures, for 2002-04, are included in Table B.
	
		
			  Table A: Teenage pregnancy rate, 2004 
			  Region  Rate( 1) 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 67.4 
			 West Midlands 45.0 
			 England 41.5 
			 (1) Rates for women aged under 18 are based on the population of women aged 15-17. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Life expectancy at birth (years) by sex, 2002-04( 1) 
			  Region  Male  Female 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 73.2 78.7 
			 West Midlands 75.9 80.6 
			 England 76.55 80.91 
			 (1 )Results are based on deaths registered in 2002-04 and mid-year population estimates for these years.

Tobacco Products (Duty)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of  (a) the proportion of tobacco products consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud in each year since 1997 and  (b) the resultant cost to the Exchequer.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs estimates of the proportion of tobacco products consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud are available from 1999-2000.
	The proportion of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud and the resultant cost to the Exchequer for 2000-01 to 2003-04 are given in Table 3.3 and Table 3.5 respectively of Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2005, published by HM Revenue and Customs in December 2005 and is available from the House of Commons Library. The proportion of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud for 1999-2000 can be found in Table 3.2 and Table 3.5 respectively of Measuring indirect tax losses published in November 2002 by HM Customs and Excise, also available from the House of Commons Library, with the corresponding resultant cost to the Exchequer in Table 3.1 and 3.4 respectively.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

City Regions Programme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the city regions project on  (a) Herefordshire and  (b) other low wage economies.

Phil Woolas: Cities and city regions are often the economic drivers of economic growth within the wider region. Economic growth within the cities and city regions will often provide knock on benefits to the wider region. We are conscious, however, that no one size fits all and in considering the business case proposals from the core cities we are giving careful thought as to their impact on smaller towns and rural areas outside the city region.
	My officials are working with DEFRA who are looking into the impact of city regions on rural areas both within and outside city regions. This research includes a number of case studies, one of which concentrates on the Birmingham city region and its impact on South Shropshire, the rural district with the highest proportion of employees earning less than two-thirds of the English median.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to her Department was of replying to a letter written  (a) by an hon. Member and  (b) by a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 76-78WS.
	The information requested is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Draft Housing Regulations

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library copies of the responses to his Department's consultation on Houses in Multiple Occupation and Selective Licensing Draft Regulations.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	I have made arrangements for copies of the responses received to the consultation exercise on the draft regulations relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Selective Licensing to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

EU Directive 2002/91/EC

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) local authorities will be funded under the new burdens procedure for the implementation of articles 7 to 10 to EU directive 2002/91/EC and  (b) the polluter pays principle will apply in relation to the implementation of these articles.

Angela Smith: The EU energy performance of buildings directive will impact on a number of areas of local authority responsibility as it will on other property owners. The new burdens requirement does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, unless these have a disproportionate effect on local government. My officials are engaging with key stakeholders including local authorities on how the directive will be implemented.
	A statutory instrument and supporting regulatory impact assessment is scheduled for early 2007 and a decision on whether the new burdens procedure and funding applies will be taken at that point. Consistent with polluter pays principles this regulatory impact assessment will also include the social cost of carbon when assessing the costs and benefits of implementing articles 7 to 10 of the directive.

Fire Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deliberate  (a) vehicle fires and  (b) fires there were in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex, (iii) Hertfordshire and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1990.

Angela Smith: The available information covers deliberate primary fires attended by fire and rescue services at the locations listed in (ii), (iii) and (iv) of the question.
	Information for Southend-on-Sea is not available centrally.
	
		
			  Deliberate road vehicle primary fires attended by fire and rescue services 1990-91 to 2004-05 
			   Essex  Hertfordshire  England and Wales 
			 1990-91 682 368 25,433 
			 1991-92 895 484 38,929 
			 1992-93 840 533 44,631 
			 1993-94 544 398 40,889 
			 1994-95 679 422 34,561 
			 1995-96 520 419 39,531 
			 1996-97 610 376 39,315 
			 1997-98 659 450 39,146 
			 1998-99 783 448 46,880 
			 1999-2000 1,123 782 59,580 
			 2000-01 1,595 839 63,678 
			 2001-02 1,696 894 73,695 
			 2002-03 1,609 881 69,413 
			 2003-04 1,463 824 63,535 
			 2004-05 1,000 598 48,028 
		
	
	
		
			  Deliberate primary fires in other locations attended by fire and rescue services 1990-91 to 2004-05 
			   Essex  Hertfordshire  England and Wales 
			 1990-91 452 278 23,628 
			 1991-92 485 331 25,826 
			 1992-93 417 349 27,411 
			 1993-94 457 323 30,382 
			 1994-95 656 341 37,807 
			 1995-96 581 470 38,155 
			 1996-97 479 497 37,908 
			 1997-98 485 360 34,475 
			 1998-99 540 387 31,723 
			 1999-2000 634 424 34,962 
			 2000-01 733 412 33,653 
			 2001-02 788 429 38,092 
			 2002-03 705 353 33,782 
			 2003-04 670 437 36,529 
			 2004-05 527 331 30,139 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are based on the sampled data grossed to fires and rescue service totals. 2. Figures exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods.  Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what criteria the energy performance certificate within home information packs will have to conform to meet the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings; what standard measurement scale will be used; whether different measurements will be required where there are different types of construction within the same building; and whether the energy performance certificate will be required to include information on  (a) roof insulation,  (b) cavity wall insulation,  (c) hot water tank insulation and  (d) improvements that could be made.

Yvette Cooper: The regulations laid before Parliament on 14 June 2006 and made under part 5 of the Housing Act 2004 require that the Energy Performance Certificate within the Home Condition Report complies with the legislation implementing the EU energy performance of buildings directive.
	The methodology used to prepare reports will be the reduced data standard assessment procedure (RDSAP) for residential property up to 450 sq m. For larger or more unusual homes, the methodology used will be the simplified building energy method (SBEM).
	Home inspectors will collect a standard data set that identifies size, construction, levels of existing insulation, heating and heating controls. It will provide both energy and environmental impact ratings on an A-G grade. It will also give an indication of energy costs, suggestions for measures to cut energy bills and improve the home's performance ratings, and for other measures to reduce CO2 emissions.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the likely annual cost to vendors of home information packs; and what estimate she has made of the total annual value to purchasers of the packs.

Yvette Cooper: The regulatory impact assessment published on 14 June 2006 alongside the home information pack regulations sets out the expected costs and benefits of home information packs. A copy of this document is in the House Library.
	Estimates of the cost of the components of HIPs in the current market suggest an average cost of around 600 to 700 plus VAT to compile. Most of this cost is not new and is being met at present by both sellers and buyers. Some providers have already said they would offer HIPs at reduced cost or even free.
	HIPs are expected to reduce the abortive and duplicated costs to consumers caused by failed transactions which result from survey or valuation inspection findings.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the annual number of derogations the Government will grant as a result of information for home information packs not being available at the time of sale.

Yvette Cooper: The legislation does not provide for the Government to make derogations. The home information pack regulations laid on 14 June 2006 allow for cases where despite all reasonable efforts, certain documents are unavailable or cannot be obtained. In such cases, marketing may begin without those documents. Where documents are temporarily unavailable, efforts to obtain the missing information must continue, with documents added to the pack as soon as they are available. The pack must also make clear what information is missing, why, and what steps are being taken to obtain it.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely impact of home condition reports contained in home information packs on the market value of low value properties.

Yvette Cooper: It is important that sellers and buyers should have reliable information about the condition of properties they are considering up front, particularly as this reduces significantly the risk of transaction failure, wasted costs, duplication and unexpected repair costs once the buyer has moved in. The Home Condition Report will bring transparency to the process and ensure that negotiations regarding sale price reflect the condition of the property.
	The Government commissioned research in 2000 and 2003 on the potential implications of home information packs (HIPs) for low value and low demand properties. They also consulted in March 2003 on whether there should be special arrangements in such cases. The findings of the research and consultation showed that buyers, sellers and local property professionals felt that HIPs could help the functioning of the market in those areas, and that exempting particular properties or areas of properties could reduce demand and therefore prices even further.

Local Authority Employees (Assaults)

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) physical and  (b) verbal assaults there have been on local authority employees in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) employment type and (ii) region.

Phil Woolas: This information is not held centrally and cannot be collected without a disproportionate cost.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by listing officers to local authority chief executives to which reference was made in ODPM council tax letter 1/2005.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 June 2006.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 20 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1699W, on council tax, when he placed in the Library a copy of the draft letter from the Valuation Office Agency to local authorities on sharing information.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The draft letter from the Valuation Office Agency to local authorities on sharing information has now been placed in the Library.

Neighbourhood Management Schemes

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she is reviewing the roll-out of neighbourhood management schemes across England; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The Government funded Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder programme was established in July 2001 with the creation of 20 Pathfinders with an additional 15 Pathfinders launched in December 2003. Further Government funding for neighbourhood management schemes is included in the neighbourhood element of the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund of Local Area Agreements, enabling 84 local authorities covering the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods to develop and extend neighbourhood management schemes if they wish.
	In addition to the 35 Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders, and new initiatives being developed under the neighbourhood element, there are already over 200 other neighbourhood management initiatives, usually set up by local authorities or Local Strategic Partnerships and mostly funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

Social Services (Child Removals)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children were removed from their parents by social services in each year since 1995.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	The numbers of children who have been removed from their parents as a result of an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) being issued by the family courts, in response to applications from local authority social/children' services, are shown in the following table. The table shows the number of children who started to be looked after following the making of EPOs during each of the years ending 31 March 1995 to 31 March 2005.
	
		
			  Children who started to be looked after during the years ending 31 March 1995 to 31 March 2005 by legal status on starting( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Emergency protection order  Number 
			 1995(4) 1,500 
			 1996(4) 1,600 
			 1997(4) 1,500 
			 1998(5) 1,700 
			 1999(5) 1,700 
			 2000(5) 1,700 
			 2001(5) 1,200 
			 2002(5) 1,400 
			 2003(5) 1,300 
			 2004(4) 1,300 
			 2005(4) 1,400 
			 (1) Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted. (2) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (3) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, the data are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. Numbers from 1 to 5 inclusive are suppressed and replaced by a hyphen (-). Zero (0) is shown only when the number submitted was zero. As a consequence of our rounding and suppression figures may not sum to the total. (4) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which before 1997-98 and since 2003-04 covered all looked after children. (5) Figures are derived from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey between 1997-98 and 2002-03.

Swindon Borough Council

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many meetings officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister held with Swindon borough councillors in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

Angela Smith: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Delivery Centres

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress on the implementation programmes for benefit delivery centres.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question on the progress of the implementation programmes for Benefit Delivery Centres. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The roll out of the Benefit Delivery Centres is expected to be completed by March 2008.
	The move to Benefit Delivery Centres involves the development of detailed implementation plans for each site. These include the steps required to move work from the sites currently processing claims to the new Benefit Delivery Centre to ensure the minimum disruption to performance and customer service.
	The first site, in Wellingborough, went live as a Benefit Delivery Centre in April 2006. We are considering the lessons learned from the implementation of that site to inform the main phase of delivery, planned to start in the autumn.
	In the interim, to ensure we maintain optimum levels of customer service, we are continuing to deliver benefits from our existing network of offices. Our strategy, in advance of full implementation, is to concentrate work at fewer sites where this is possible. In the last two years we have already reduced the number of processing sites by around 50 per cent. This allows us to move more quickly to the model of Benefit Delivery Centres, which builds upon an improved, more consistent level of customer service.
	I hope this is helpful.

Benefits (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average time was taken to rate a claim for  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) income support in (i) Peterborough constituency and (ii) the Peterborough city council area in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 28 June 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding the average time taken to rate a claim for  (a) Jobseeker's Allowance and  (b) Income Support in (i) Peterborough constituency and (ii) the Peterborough city council area in each of the last 10 years. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Our measure of the time taken to process a claim is the actual average clearance time. Prior to April 2006 the Jobcentre Plus internal key management indicator for processing claims for Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) was 12 working days. Since April 2006, these key management indicators have become official Jobcentre Plus targets; the IS clearance target is 11 days and the JSA clearance target is 12 days.
	I am unable to provide information for the last 10 years as our system only holds data from April 2002 when Jobcentre Plus began operations.
	For the period April 2002 to March 2005, information is available for the old Peterborough Jobcentre Plus district, which included the constituency of Peterborough and the Peterborough city council area. From April 2005 information is only available for the whole of Cambridgeshire.
	The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Claim processing times in Peterborough Jobcentre Plus District 
			   Benefit  Target in days  Actual average clearance time in days 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 Income Support 12 14.44 
			  Jobseeker's Allowance 12 12.19 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 Income Support 12 19.65 
			  Jobseeker's Allowance 12 12.38 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 Income Support 12 16.84 
			  Jobseeker's Allowance 12 12.45 
		
	
	
		
			  Claim processing times in Cambridgeshire 
			   Benefit  Target in days  Actual average clearance time in days 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 Income Support 12 13.99 
			  Jobseeker's Allowance 12 12.72 
			 April 2006 to May 2006 Income Support 11 17.37 
			  Jobseeker's Allowance 12 17.47 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information System Programme. 
		
	
	Jobcentre Plus is transforming the service it provides by making it available via the telephone, via the internet and through the personal service offered to people in Jobcentre Plus offices. We are also committed to implementing a major efficiency programme to deliver headcount savings.
	On 30 January we launched a national action plan designed to reduce clearance times. The plan focuses on providing delivery units with specific tools and best practice guidance to enable them to improve their performance. Senior operational managers provided a formal assurance at the end of February that they were complying with all elements of the national action plan.
	The chief operating officer is monitoring performance very closely and is addressing performance variations in benefit clearance times in specific locations and the actions required to clear backlogs. It should be acknowledged that concentrating on backlogs of work may initially cause average clearance times to rise.
	I hope this is helpful.

Carer's Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce proposals to enable carers to receive carer's allowance after the age of 60.

Anne McGuire: Carer's allowance, formerly known as invalid care allowance, has always been available to carers aged below state pension age. From 1994 it was made available to women aged between 60 and 65, and from 2002 we abolished the upper age limit for making a claim.
	People entitled to carer's allowance can have the additional amount for carers, currently 26.35 a week, included in the assessment of their pension credit. This applies both to those in receipt of carer's allowance and those who cannot be paid because they are receiving at least an equivalent amount from a state pension. It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to carer's allowance and state pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income. We have no plans to change the current arrangements.
	As at November 2005, more than 42,500 people aged 60 or over were receiving carer's allowance and more than 181,800 had the additional amount for carers included in their pension credit.

Carer's Allowance

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount of carer's allowance for which there was eligibility but no claims in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 26 June 2006
	Entitlement to carer's allowance depends on whether the qualifying conditions are satisfied, and this can be reliably established only after a claim has been made. There are no data available from which a reliable estimate might be made of the number of carers who would meet the conditions if they claimed.

Carer's Allowance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support the benefits system provides for those who become carers of vulnerable people after they themselves have passed retirement age; whether this differs from those who become carers before their age of retirement; what plans he has to change the system to improve the treatment of carers who are over retirement age; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Carers have equal access to the full range of income maintenance social security benefits, whether they are above or below state pension age. In particular, they are able to apply equally for carer's allowance, which is an income maintenance benefit for people who regularly spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a severely disabled person.
	Lower-income people of pension age may receive pension credit in addition to their state pension. Pension credit recipients are guaranteed a weekly income of 114.05 for a single person or 174.05 for a couple. Carers entitled to carer's allowance have the carer's additional amount, currently 26.35 a week, included in the assessment of their pension credit. For both working age and pension age carers entitled to carer's allowance, additional help is available through the carer premium, also set at 26.35 a week, in housing benefit and council tax benefit. This premium is available to working age carers in income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance.
	The overlapping benefits rules, which mean that two income maintenance benefits cannot be paid together, also apply equally to carers below state pension age receiving benefits such as incapacity benefit and to pension age carers receiving basic state pension.
	We have no plans to change these arrangements.

Child Support Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what aggregate amount was paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in 2005-06.

Anne McGuire: Bonus payments to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency for performance in 2005-06 have still to be decided. Annual bonus payments are normally paid in July.

Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

Anne McGuire: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (c.13) is the only DWP sponsored primary legislation since April 2005. The criminal offences created in that Act are:
	(i) Section (7)(2)(b) adds 'a rail vehicle accessibility compliance certificate' to the list of relevant documents in section 49(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in respect of which it is already an offence for such a document to be forged, altered etc or for a false statement be made knowingly for the purpose of obtaining such a document. The amendment has yet to be brought into force;
	(ii) Section 8(2) inserts a new subsection (5) into section 49 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Act to make it an offence to falsely pretend to be a person authorised to inspect rail vehicles for conformity with rail vehicle accessibility regulations. The provision has yet to be brought into force;
	(iii) Section 9 inserts a new section 21A into the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (c.44) in relation to badges issued outside Great Britain; subsection (4) of the new section makes it an offence to display a badge purporting to be a recognised badge unless it is a recognised badge and is displayed in accordance with regulations to be made under subsection (3). Subsection (8) makes it an offence to fail without reasonable excuse, to produce a badge when required to do so by a constable or enforcement officer. This provision came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
	(iv) Section 10(3) inserts a new subsection (2B) into section 16B of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which makes it an offence for a person knowingly or recklessly to make a false or misleading statement to the effect that publication of a particular advert would not be unlawful by reason of the operation of subsection. (2); For the sake of completeness, the following provisions of Schedule 1 to that Act make amendments to other primary legislation which insert new offences into that legislation:
	(v) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 43(3) inserts a new subsection (6A) into section 105 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27). This makes it an offence to leave a vehicle stationary in contravention of any prohibition or restriction, where an immobilisation device could have been fixed to the vehicle if it had not been displaying a current recognised badge (defined by section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970), where the vehicle was not being used in accordance with regulations under s21A of the 1970 Act and in circumstances where a concession would not be available to a vehicle lawfully displaying a recognised badge. This provision also came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
	(vi) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 44(3) inserts subsection (1A) into section 117 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27). This makes it an offence for a person to display a badge purporting to be a recognised badge (defined by new section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970) where they are also breaching a provision of an order relating to parking under the 1984 Act and where the circumstances are such that a concession would be available to someone lawfully displaying a recognised badge. The offence will not be committed provided the badge is a recognised badge and is being displayed in accordance with regulations under section 21A of the 1970 Act. This provision also came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
	(vii) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 46(3) inserts subsection 2A into section 70 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c.40). This creates an offence for cases where an immobilisation device could have been fixed to a vehicle in a designated parking space, had a current recognised badge (defined by section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970) not been displayed on the vehicle, if the vehicle was not being used in accordance with regulations under that section and the circumstances were such that a disabled person's concession would not be available by virtue of displaying a non-GB badge. This provision also came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.
	(viii) Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraph 48(2) inserts subsection (5A) into section 79 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 (c.18). This states that regulations to be made under that section shall provide that an offence is created where a person is in charge of a vehicle in circumstances where an immobilisation device would have been fixed to the vehicle had a current recognised badge not been displayed on the vehicle and the vehicle is not being used in accordance with regulations under section 21A of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and the circumstances are such that a disabled person's concession would not be available by virtue of displaying a non-GB badge. This provision also came into force as regards England on 30 June 2005.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not currently keep a separate record of expenditure on alcohol for hospitality purposes. Such expenditure is included within the hospitality account. The Department's current intention is not to subdivide further this analysis of expenditure as it is likely to require significant additional administration and be unlikely to be accurate.
	All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. Accordingly, alcohol is provided only as an exception and only with the specific written authority of a small number of designated senior civil servants.

Departmental Staff

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the  (a) operation and  (b) staffing of the Appeals Service from March 2007.

Vera Baird: My hon. Friend's question to ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the  (a) operation and  (b) staffing of the Appeals Service from March 2007 onwards has been referred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs for reply. With effect from 3 April 2006, the Appeals Service, now known as Social Security and Child Support Appeal Tribunal (SSCSA), transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions and became part of the Tribunals Service, an Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	The SSCSA continues to meet all of its targets and delivers an efficient service in line with the Tribunals Service 2005-06 Business Plan.
	Resource for the SSCSA transferred from DWP to DCA. The staffing of SSCSA will be maintained in line with its workload and the resources available to the Department overall.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled staff his Department has employed in each year since 2000.

Anne McGuire: The information is contained in the table.
	The information is representative of the disabled status as voluntarily declared by individual members of staff. Not all staff who are registered disabled declare themselves as such for departmental records, and the true figure may be higher than the figures shown.
	These figures represent a snapshot of the Staff in Post on 1 April for each year shown and the proportion of disabled staff. The Department for Work and Pensions was created in July 2001, and figures prior to 2002 were unobtainable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and proportion of disabled staff in DWP 
			   Staff in post  Staff in post with a declared disability  Percentage of staff in post with a declared disability 
			 2006 127,795 6,429 5.25 
			 2005 134,494 6,896 5.13 
			 2004 142,675 7,094 5.38 
			 2003 139,906 7,485 5.76 
			 2002 138,578 7,941 5.99

Industrial Action (Newcastle)

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the industrial action on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate between the Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a policy on the industrial action on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate. The dispute is between the Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan. The staff involved were formerly part of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

Industrial Action (Newcastle)

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the industrial action between Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan on the work of his Department carried out on the Newcastle Civil Service Estate.

Anne McGuire: The industrial action between Public and Commercial Services Union and MacLellan has had minimal impact on the Department for Work and Pensions business in Newcastle. Core business has not been affected and security has not been compromised.

Jobcentre Plus

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Working Together programme in Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 28 June 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the implementation of the Working Together programme in Jobcentre Plus. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Working Together programme has been developed in response to the significant challenges our business faces. It provides an opportunity for everyone across Jobcentre Plus to be involved in creating the working environment needed to ensure the continued success of our organisation, and helps to build understanding and commitment to our vision and to new ways of working. It also ensures our managers have the skills, tools and confidence to lead their people through change.
	Working Together is currently rolled out in 384 sites, 370 of which are Jobcentres, 8 are Contact Centres, and 6 are Benefit Delivery Centres. Managers receive coaching from Working Together facilitators and people are given the time and resources to help create a better working environment, and work with their managers to implement development plans.
	To date, 46 per cent of our staff are participating in the Working Together programme and the remainder will participate in the near future.
	Feedback to date from participants of the programme has been very positive and our formal evaluation process starts in July.

Jobseeker Assistance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are made by his Department  (a) to assess and  (b) to report the incidence of learning disabilities among jobseekers.

Anne McGuire: The Labour Market System (LMS) is the computer system used in Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), that holds details of customer personal information, employer vacancies and opportunities provided by suppliers of training and work-based learning activities.
	There is a marker on LMS for 'people with a disability'. However that is only used when the customer themselves identify that they have a disability which would be a barrier to work. Not everyone with a disability will identify themselves in this way so any data will only include a proportion of those who have a disability. The marker covers all disabilities but it does not break the figure down by type.
	No other specific arrangements have been made to assess or report the incidence of learning disabilities among jobseekers.

Medical Assessments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement.

Vera Baird: The hon. Gentleman's question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement has been referred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs for reply. With effect of 3 April 2006, appeals against social security benefit decisions are now the responsibility of the Tribunals Service, which is an Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	The information the hon. Gentleman has asked for is not available in the format requested as unit costs are measured over the entire appeal caseload and not broken down specifically by benefit type.
	The average unit cost for processing an appeal is 253 and takes into account all Agency costs including overheads.

Pathways to Work

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when he expects to let contracts with private and voluntary sector providers to manage Pathways to Work in new areas;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the Pathways to Work procurement process complies with the duties and other provisions established under the Equalities Act 2006.

Jim Murphy: We are still finalising our plans for a national roll-out of Pathways to Work. In our Green Paper we said the next phase of the roll-out will be delivered primarily through voluntary and private sector providers contracted locally. The private and voluntary sectors have already demonstrated the value of their specialist knowledge and expertise in existing DWP programmes and will continue to provide major benefits. We hope to make an announcement shortly, which will lead to the start of the procurement exercise.
	We will ensure that providers comply with the Equalities Act 2006. The accreditation process prior to the award of a contract confirms that providers have robust equality and diversity policies, and the Jobcentre Plus terms and conditions place contractual obligations on providers in respect of the Equalities Act 2006.

Pensioner Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of pensioners entitled to (i) means tested benefits and (ii) pension credit in (A) 2010, (B) 2020, (C) 2030, (D) 2040 and (E) 2050 based on the proposals set out in the Pension White Paper Cm 6841; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: holding answer 8 June 2006
	The information is not available in the format requested. The information available is shown in the following table.
	The numbers eligible for pension credit in the future are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of factors including policies on uprating different benefits. Table 1 shows the projected number and proportion of pensioner households eligible for pension credit under the proposals contained in the White Paper Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system.
	
		
			  Table 1: Projected number and proportion of pensioner households eligible to pension credit for selected years under the White Paper proposals 
			   Number of pensioner households eligible ( million)  Proportion of pensioner households eligible (percentage) 
			 2010 4.15 44 
			 2020 3.45 41 
			 2030 2.95 31 
			 2040 2.80 27 
			 2050 2.95 29 
			  Notes: 1. Long-run projections of the number and proportion of pensioners eligible for means tested benefits under the White Paper proposals are not available. 2. Projections of the number and proportion of pensioners eligible for pension credit are sensitive to modelling assumptions and to projected changes in the distribution of pensioner incomes. 3. The estimates of proportions shown here are the mid-points of projections taken from two separate micro-simulation models. Modelling of the reform proposals does not include any increase in private saving from the introduction of personal accounts, which would further reduce the numbers eligible for pension credit. 4. Projections of the number of pensioners eligible for pension credit are derived from the projected proportions eligible and projections of the number of pensioner households in Great Britain. 5. These projections assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; earnings uprating of the savings credit threshold from 2008 to 2014; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; price uprating of the maximum savings credit from 2015; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the White Paper. 6. Estimates cover all those aged above women's state pension age in the private household population of Great Britain. 7. Estimates account for equalisation of state pension age between 2010 and 2020. They also account for the proposed further increases in state pension age described in the White Paper. The estimates assume that the minimum age at which people can claim pension credit rises in line with women's state pension age. 8. Estimates are calibrated to the mid-points of the 2004-05 National Statistics range estimates of non-eligibility to pension credit, which adjust 2004-05 family resources survey data to take account of possible biases in reporting. Although the estimates here are not presented as ranges, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty. 9. Estimates of the number of pensioner households eligible are rounded to the nearest 50,000.

Security Guards

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with the Security Industry Association on the licensing of security guards on the civil service estate.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has not had any discussions with the Security Industry Association regarding the licensing of security guards on this Department's civil service estate.

Working-age Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the pilot of a revised process for handling new and repeat claims for working-age benefits.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie dated 28 June 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the pilot of a revised process for handling new and repeat claims for working-age benefits. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The pilot is intended to improve customer service by making the service clearer for both customers and staff and streamlining the new and repeat claims process. The main features of the pilot are:
	improved information for customers to ensure that they are directed to the right services;
	a free telephone claim line number;
	fast-track procedures for people making repeat claims and for people who do not require an immediate work focused interview; and
	streamlined arrangements for collecting information to support claims.
	The pilot has been running since 27 February 2006 for customers served by Jobcentre Plus offices in Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Barton and Immingham, and was extended to customers in Central London from 24 April, A full evaluation of the pilot will be carried out before any decisions are made to extend the revised process nationally.
	I hope this is helpful.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ambassadors

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2005,  Official Report, Column 1895W, on ambassadors, how much of the Frais was spent on  (a) the EU presidency,  (b) the G8 presidency and  (c) the visit of HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Geoff Hoon: 6,145 of the Frais of our ambassador in Washington was spent on the visit by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in November 2005. The UK's G8 and EU presidencies ran for one year and six months respectively. To provide figures on the amount of Frais spent on both presidencies would require consideration of hundreds of events in 2005 and would incur disproportionate costs.
	I would like to take this opportunity to correct the figure of 29,000 previously stated as having been underspent against the ambassador's Frais provision in financial year 2004-05, in the written reply to my hon. Friend by the then Foreign Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) on 22 November 2005,  Official Report, Column 1895W. The ambassador's Frais provision was underspent by 27,935 and it was that amount that was carried forward to financial year 2005-06. Taking into account this rollover, there was no increase in the ambassador's total Frais allocation for 2005-06.

Amnesty Law

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice the British high commissioner, Mr. Francois Gordon, gave to Dr. Besigye  (a) while he was in detention, with particular reference to applying for amnesty under the Amnesty Law which governs the forgiveness of former rebels, and  (b) after the elections, with particular reference to the acceptance of the results of the elections; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: As chair of the Partners for Democracy and Governance group, the British high commissioner, Mr. Francois Gordon, has met Dr. Besigye on several occasions before and after the February 2006 elections. At these meetings, both parties agreed that the conversations would remain private and confidential.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the position of those who have acquired property on Ascension Island.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 308W. All property on Ascension Island belongs to the Crown. Nevertheless, some parties have entered into arrangements that have no basis in law. We will seek to bring these arrangements into line with legislation that is currently being reviewed. In undertaking this work individual circumstances will be considered sympathetically.

Bermuda Regiment

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons conscripted to the Bermuda Regiment have  (a) declined to serve,  (b) gone absent without leave for more than one month and  (c) been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of (A) desertion, (B) being absent without leave and (C) similar offences; what sentences were imposed in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Neither my Department nor the Ministry of Defence hold the information requested. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information.
	For 2006, of the 541 men called up for service in the Bermuda Regiment two were registered as Conscientious Objectors, seven were exempted as 'ministers of a religious denomination', 14 were conditionally deferred to serve in the St. John's Ambulance Brigade, and 94 did not report for medical examination, nor explain their absence in advance. Of these 94 men, 51 are believed to reside in Bermuda, while the whereabouts of the remaining 43 is unknown.
	The Bermuda Regiment is a part-time regiment, and the maximum accumulated time put in by any member of the regiment is equivalent, at its maximum, to thirty days in one year. The regiment considers that a man who has been absent without leave for more than three consecutive scheduled or ordered appearances is a long term absentee (LTA). At the time of this parliamentary question the Bermuda Regiment has on its books a total of 65 LTAs.
	On the question of desertion the Bermuda Defence Act 1965 makes no provision for such a charge.
	Under the Defence Act every soldier who fails to perform military duties is charged internally with unauthorised absence. So far in 2006, 21 such cases have been heard, and all have been found guilty. The commanding officer handed out the following sentences: extra duties (three); monetary fines (four); and re-start the military year (11). The remaining three cases have been referred to the magistrates court, for which there is provision in the Defence Act, where they remain outstanding.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Government have received about the fatal beating of Burmese democracy activist, Thet Naing Oo.

Ian McCartney: We are not able to confirm events surrounding the death of Thet Naing Oo, but believe reports that he was beaten to death by Burmese police officers are broadly accurate. We do not accept the version of events given by the Government media.

Burma

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Burmese Government on the recent human rights violations in Karen State.

Margaret Beckett: We condemn the attacks carried out by the Burmese army on civilians in northern and western Karen State.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, raised our concerns on a range of human rights abuses in Burma, including the recent attacks in Karen State, when he summoned the Burmese ambassador on 15 June.
	The EU issued a statement on 3 May calling on the Burmese to cease human rights abuses. The statement was sent to the Burmese Ministries of Information and Foreign Affairs.
	The statement can be found at the following website:
	http://www.eu2006.at/en/News/CFSP_Statements/May/0305 Myanmar.html?null.

Burma

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that Burma is formally discussed at the UN Security Council and a resolution is agreed.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade gave the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1454W.

Burma

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 892-93W, on Burma, if she will make a formal written request to the Burmese Government to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Margaret Beckett: In accordance with an agreed common position, EU Ministers believe that it would be inappropriate to visit Burma at this time. Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since 2003. I shall therefore not be writing to request a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi. We have repeatedly called for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released, most recently when my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade summoned the Burmese ambassador on 15 June.

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last time was that British embassy officials in Rangoon, Burma, were permitted to see Aung San Sui Kyi; and what report on the state of her health was received.

Ian McCartney: Our ambassador in Rangoon last met Aung San Suu Kyi on 25 April 2003. Since she was detained on 30 May 2003, the Burmese Government have refused all requests by our ambassador to call on her. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari was permitted to see Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 May 2006 and commented that she looked well. Aung San Suu Kyi was reported to have fallen ill earlier this month. She was examined by her doctor but was not admitted to hospital. We understand she has now recovered.

Charles Munyaneza

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answers of 6 February 2006,  Official Report, column 769W, and 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1858W, on Charles Munyaneza, what steps the Government has taken in response to the international arrest warrant issued by the Rwandan Government (ref: RPGR 206/GEN/MJD/RE) in respect of Mr. Charles Munyaneza and submitted to the UK Government in February 2006 for action by the appropriate authorities.

Joan Ryan: I have been asked to reply. 
	It is a matter of established policy and practice that we do not comment on whether a person may be facing arrest for extradition purposes.

China

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 311W, on China, whether the Government or their representatives and officials had direct contact with Mr. Ching Cheong prior to his arrest on 22 April 2005.

Ian McCartney: We can find no record of any direct contact between Mr. Ching Cheong and the Government, their representatives or officials prior to his detention in April 2005.

Extradition Treaty

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives of the United States of America on their ratification of the Extradition Treaty of March 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with US representatives about the UK/US Extradition Treaty. However, the then Foreign Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) wrote to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about this matter on 20 April. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House and a copy sent to my hon. Friend.

Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have held with  (a) the Falkland Islands Government and  (b) the Argentine Government on exploration for oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters.

Geoff Hoon: The Government hold regular discussions with the Falkland Islands Government on the exploration for oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters. Most recently these included a meeting between both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Director General for Defence and Intelligence and the Overseas Territories Department with representatives of the Falkland Islands Government, on 15 June.
	There have been no discussions with the Argentine Government on the exploration for oil and gas in Falkland Islands waters since the South West Atlantic Hydro Carbons Commission ceased to meet in July 2000.

Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Government policy is on supporting the Falkland Islands in their exploration for gas and oil in their territorial waters.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are committed to the offshore prospecting policy pursued by the Falkland Islands Government, which is entirely consistent with the United Kingdom's sovereign rights over the Falkland Islands.

Hamas

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her latest assessment is of Hamas's position on meeting the conditions of the international community for donor funding.

Ian McCartney: We remain deeply concerned that the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority has not committed to the Quartet's (EU, US, UN and Russia) three principles: to renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept all previous agreements and obligations. Hamas need to start implementing these principles and make clear the path they intend to take now that they face the responsibilities of government.

International Nuclear Fuel Supply Agreement

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1001W, on the International Nuclear Fuel Bank, when she plans to make public the joint US-UK proposals to the International Atomic Energy Agency for a new international nuclear fuel supply agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced UK support for the proposal on 26 May during his foreign policy speech at Georgetown University, Washington DC. The UK, alongside France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation and the United States, formally presented the initiative to the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on 12-15 June.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources the UK has committed to the promotion of civil society in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UK has committed over 12 million to programmes that are building civil society capacity in Iraq.
	The Department for International Development's (DFID) Political Participation Fund, totalling 7.5 million, supports initiatives which aim to increase opportunities for political representation and participation of poor, vulnerable and marginalised people in the political process. Projects funded so far include voter education and media and monitors training for elections. DFID has also provided 82 grants to civil society organisations. During 2006 the Fund will help to support the constitutional review process and the provincial elections.
	DFID's Civil Society Fund (CSF), totalling 5 million, is supporting projects that strengthen the capacity of Iraq civil society organisations. The CSF has supported partnerships between nine international non-governmental organisations and their networks of Iraqi civil society groups. Projects have helped develop women's leadership, provided training for Iraqi trade union leaders, developed child rights, supplied social work training and helped build Iraqi capacity in mine risk education. The civil society organisations receiving support include trade unions, women's groups and humanitarian agencies.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1989W, on the Iraq medal, when she expects to publish the eligibility criteria for the second Iraq medal.

Margaret Beckett: The eligibility criteria, together with other details of the Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal, will be published when they have been considered by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, and approved by Her Majesty the Queen. I hope that this will be done before the House returns after the summer recess.

Joseph Kony

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the reports that the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has accepted an invitation from the Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony to start peace talks; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: President Museveni has indicated a willingness to talk to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) with a view to ending the conflict in northern Uganda. However, we are not aware of any reports that President Museveni has accepted a specific invitation from the LRA to start peace talks. We have seen the media reporting of the meeting between Kony and the Government of Southern Sudan and the reports that they delivered a message from Kony to President Museveni, but the contents of the message have not been shared with us.
	The Government of Uganda, along with the Governments of Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, is obliged to give effect to the International Criminal Court arrest warrants, for the arrest of five LRA Commanders, including Joseph Kony.

Joseph Kony

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance her Department is offering to  (a) Uganda,  (b) the southern Sudanese and  (c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo to arrest the Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and his commanders for whom the International Criminal Court has issued an international arrest warrant; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of five Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Commanders, including Joseph Kony, in October 2005. Responsibility to implement the arrest warrants lies in the first instance with the states on whose territory the five LRA commanders are believed to be, namely, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan. We have not received any requests for assistance in this regard from the Governments of Uganda, the DRC or Sudan.
	The UK is a strong supporter of the work of the ICC in its efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. We continue to urge the Governments of Uganda, the DRC and Sudan to fulfil their commitments to co-operate with the ICC, and to help implement the warrants for the arrest of the five senior LRA commanders, including Kony, as soon as possible.

Joseph Kony

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of reports that South Sudan's Vice President  (a) recently met the Lord's Resistance Army Chief Joseph Kony,  (b) gave Mr. Kony $20,000 and  (c) delivered a message from Mr. Kony to Mr. Museveni; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have seen the media reporting of the meeting between Joseph Kony and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and are aware of the associated reports that they have provided financial assistance. We have also seen reports that the GoSS delivered a message from Kony to President Museveni, but the contents of the message have not been shared with us.
	We continue to urge the Government of Sudan to fulfil their commitment to co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to help implement the warrants for the arrest of the five senior Lord's Resistance Army commanders, including Kony, as soon as possible. Our ambassador in Khartoum pressed Salva Kiir, President of the Government of Southern Sudan, on the Government's ICC obligations on 10 May 2006. The UK-led UN Security Council delegation, which visited southern Sudan on 8 June 2006, also raised the issue with President Kiir.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Private Members' Bills were drafted by her Department in each Session since 1997; and which of those subsequently received Royal Assent.

Margaret Beckett: Since 1997 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has assisted in the drafting of one Private Member's Bill, the Commonwealth Bill, in partnership with the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts). This Bill received Royal Assent in 2002.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has for legislation in the next Session of Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 16 June 2006 by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House,  Official Report, column 1431W.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1119W, on Madagascar, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of diplomatic links with Madagascar.

Ian McCartney: Once the new non-resident ambassador to and Honorary Consul in Madagascar are accredited, we expect diplomatic links with Madagascar to be adequate to meet our objectives. Our requests for accreditation remain with Malagasy authorities. We await their response.

Palestine

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  when she expects the Quartet aid mechanism to the Palestinians to take effect; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has made to her US counterparts regarding the form and implementation of the Quartet aid mechanism to the Palestinians; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We welcome the agreement on the Temporary International Mechanism reached at the 15 June European Council, and the 17 June Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) statement endorsing it. The full text of the statement can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?Pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelertae/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1150454868713.
	The UK has played an important role in establishing the mechanism, holding regular discussions with our EU and Quartet partners, including the US. There are still some technical details to work out, but the European Commission and World Bank are now working to set this up as quickly as possible.
	We hope parts of the mechanism will begin to deliver support in July.

Palestine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in establishing new mechanisms for funding the Palestinian people.

Ian McCartney: We welcome the agreement on the Temporary International Mechanism reached at 15 June European Council, and the 17 June Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) statement endorsing it. The UK has played an important role in establishing the mechanism, holding regular discussions with our EU and Quartet partners, including the US. There are still some technical details to work out but the European Commission and World Bank are now working to set this up as quickly as possible.
	We hope parts of the mechanism will begin to deliver support in July.
	A copy of the 17 June Quartet statement can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1150454868713.

Palestine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.

Ian McCartney: We remain concerned by the continuing violence in the West Bank and Gaza. All violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories acts as an obstacle to peace. We call for an end to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Israeli civilian targets. We also condemn the incursion into Israel by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 in which two Israeli soldiers were killed. We support President Abbas' efforts to restore order, using legally constituted security forces. And we call on the Israeli Government to ensure that any military actions are proportional and ensure that civilians, particularly children, are not harmed.

Project Coast

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information was  (a) shared between  (b) supplied to and  (c) given by those attending the ad hoc meeting held on 13 January 2006 to discuss the Basson/Project Coast handling strategy; what other (i) documents and (ii) knowledge are held by the UK Government about Project Coast; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer of 27 June 2006
	Participants at the meeting shared draft answers to the parliamentary questions under consideration and discussed these to ensure that they represented consistent, full and accurate answers. The Government hold information from a variety of sources on its files, including from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa on the files from that period. To identify every document would incur disproportionate costs.

Royal Visit (USA)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2005,  Official Report, column 2246W, on the Royal visit (USA), what contact representatives of the Prince of Wales's United States Foundation had with her Department's staff during their Highnesses' official visit to the US; which official events organised by the Government they attended; whether they accompanied their Royal Highnesses on the journey between Washington DC and New York; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Before the visit by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to the USA, representatives of the Prince of Wales's US Foundation held discussions with a number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff as part of the programme preparations to ensure events ran smoothly. US Foundation representatives attended the reception in Washington hosted by our ambassador, and the New York reception hosted by the consul-general, both held in honour of the Royal Highnesses. None accompanied the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on the journey between New York and Washington DC.

Royal Visit (USA)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2005,  Official Report, columns 2246-7W, on the Royal visit (USA), what each gift which was not a signed photograph was; to whom each gift was presented; and what total costs were reimbursed by her Department for such gifts.

Margaret Beckett: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 22 June 2006,  Official Report, Column 2152W. The total costs of gifts reimbursed was 3,438.38.
	The list of gifts, other than signed photographs, which were presented during the visit to the United States is as follows.
	 American Hosts
	Book of the collected essays of Sir Winston Churchill
	Paper Knife
	Pen Knife (3)
	Purse (1)
	Hotel Staff
	Wallet (2)
	Purse (2)
	FCO Personnel
	Silver Benny Box
	Large 2005 Year Box (3)
	Pen knife

Royal Visit (USA)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1488W, on the United States (Prince of Wales's visit), whether anyone from the Prince of Wales's United States Foundation accompanied the Prince on his official visit to the US in 2005 at public cost.

Margaret Beckett: No-one from The Prince of Wales's United States Foundation accompanied His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on his official visit to the US at public expense.

Somalia

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent talks between the Somali Government and the Islamic Courts Union militia; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We welcome any talks destined to resolve Somalia's problems peacefully. We have urged both sides to engage in dialogue and resolve Somalia's conflict through the framework of the transitional charter and the transitional federal institutions.

Somalia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the security situation in Somalia.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, South (Mr. Jones) today (UIN 79925).

South Korea

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she had with the South Korean Foreign Minister concerning South Korea's support for the St. Kitts and Nevis Declaration at the recent International Whaling Commission meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Declaration was presented to the meeting on 17 June. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed it with her South Korean counterpart.
	UK views on whaling are well known.

Special Advisers

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of her Department.

Margaret Beckett: Special advisers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have no formal role in answering parliamentary questions, which are drafted by officials and signed by Ministers. I take advice from my special advisers on a range of issues, which includes the answers to parliamentary questions.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent peace treaty in the east of Sudan.

Ian McCartney: Preliminary talks between the Government of Sudan and the Eastern Front began in Asmara on 13 June, under Eritrean mediation. A UK representative was present. A Declaration of Principles and an agreement to cease violence was issued on 19 June. Formal talks are scheduled to start in mid-July. We support the parties in this effort and press them to negotiate in good faith in order to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
	The Sudan People's Liberation Army has successfully and peacefully completed its withdrawal from Hamishkoreib. This is a positive and important step. We continue to urge all sides to exercise restraint and not to take action that may inflame the situation.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the invasion of the Ugandan High Court by armed commandos on 16 November 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Following the presence of armed commandos in the grounds of the High Court on 16 November 2005, we urged the Ugandan Government to do all they could to restore public confidence in the security services. As EU presidency at the time, the UK issued a statement on 18 November 2005 calling for this and also calling for the Ugandan Government to 'ensure that the security force's responses are strictly proportionate to the threats they face in any given situation'. The full text of the statement can be found at the following website:
	http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1107293561746a=KArticleaid=1131976425734date=2005-11-18.
	On 31 January 2006, the Constitutional Court declared that the deployment of armed commandos had been a deliberate attempt to intimidate and influence the judiciary.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Finance Directors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of her Department.

Vera Baird: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Director General of Finance at the Department for Constitutional Affairs is Ms. Barbara Moorhouse.
	 (b) Ms. Moorhouse holds an MA in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford university and is a chartered management accountant. She is an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and of the Financial Reporting and Review Panel. From 1996-2002 she was a member of CIMA Council.
	 (c) Ms. Moorhouse was appointed in March 2005. She has previously held a number of senior financial, strategic and commercial roles in multinational companies.

Post Office Network Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what services  (a) her Department and  (b) its associated public bodies (i) make available and (ii) have made available in the last five years through the post office network; through how many outlets the service is or was made available; and how many relevant transactions were undertaken in each case in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: Neither DCA nor any of its associated public bodies use, or have used, the services of post office network in the course of their business over the last five years.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ulster Volunteer Force

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has received on the Ulster Volunteer Force's intention to enter a ceasefire.

Paul Goggins: In their latest report the IMC stated that the UVF remains an active, violent and ruthless organisation. The UVF's recent statement that it will make no announcement about future intentions until after 24 November is completely unacceptable.

Housing

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on housing policy in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Government's objective is to ensure that everyone has access to a decent home in the tenure of their choice at an affordable cost. The policy is progressed within the Government's Regional Development Strategy and other important initiatives such as Neighbourhood Renewal and the Fuel Poverty Strategy.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent progress towards devolved Government in the Province.

Peter Hain: The Preparation for Government Committee at the Assembly is continuing to work to identify the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for devolved Government. The Government remains committed to doing all it can to support the process.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards the permanent re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

David Hanson: The Preparation for Government Committee at the Assembly is continuing to work to identify the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for devolved Government. The Government remains committed to doing all it can to support the process.

EU Funding

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in increasing EU regional funding for Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Recent improved economic performance means that for 2007-13 Northern Ireland will benefit from an allocation of the EU structural funds available to the UK under the EU's competitiveness and employment objective. Northern Ireland will also benefit from special PEACE funding and Territorial Co-operation funding.
	The allocations of competitiveness and employment funding to UK regions are still under discussion following a recent UK-wide consultation process that ended on 22 May 2006. We will ensure that Northern Ireland gets a fair share of the resources available to the UK.

Post-primary Education

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of post-primary education in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave some moments ago to the hon. Member for Blaydon.

Secondary School System

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of selection in Northern Ireland's secondary school system.

Peter Hain: The Draft Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, to be debated later today, contains a provision banning academic selection in Northern Ireland after the 2008 Transfer Tests. This will be effective from 25 November if the Northern Ireland Assembly is not restored before that date. If it is restored by 24 November a vote will be required in the Assembly to ban academic selection.

Community Festivals

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government support is available for new and emerging community festivals in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: A new Community Festival Fund came into operation on 1 April 2006. The Northern Ireland Events Company administers the fund on the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's behalf. Approximately 450,000 is available to new or existing festivals that meet the core criteria.
	Its main purpose is to improve the capacity of existing, new and emerging community festivals and to make them more sustainable.

Child Sex Abuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1598W, on child sex abuse, how offender clusters have been monitored in Northern Ireland over the past 10 years; and how offender clusters will be scanned for in the future.

Paul Goggins: Further to my answer to the hon. Gentleman of 23 May 2006, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, in line with the National Intelligence Model (NIM), use the Integrated Crime Information System (ICIS) to monitor offender clusters. NIM became available in 2001, prior to this the PSNI identified clusters through local intelligence

Civil Partnerships

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many same-sex couples in Northern Ireland have applied to legalise their relationship, broken down by council area.

David Hanson: Civil partnership was introduced in Northern Ireland from 5 December 2005 and after that date couples could give notice of civil partnership registration. Up to 15 June 2006 notice has been given for 110 civil partnerships in Northern Ireland of which 70 are in the Belfast registration district, nine in Derry and six in each of Newry and Mourne and North Down districts. None of the remaining registration districts has received five or more notices.

Civil Servants

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mark Durkan) of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 701-2W, on the Northern Ireland Civil Service, which wards were included within Antrim Coast and Glens when calculating the number of Northern Ireland civil service vacancies.

David Hanson: The correct title for the parliamentary constituency in question is East Antrim constituency, not Antrim Coast and Glens as provisionally recommended by the Boundary Commission. The corresponding wards in East Antrim constituency, to which these figures previously supplied refer, are Killycrot and Central Ward.

Civil Servants

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, there were  (a) in each Department and agency in Northern Ireland and  (b) in total at 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The number of civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, in each of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and the NIO, and their agencies at 1 April 2006 are as follows;
	
		
			  Number of civil service posts in Northern Ireland by Department as at 1 April 2006 
			  Department  Department  Agencies 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) 2,509 708 
			 Enterprise, Training and Investment (DETI) 607 96 
			 Education (DE) 688 n/a 
			 Regional Development (DRD) 553 4,214 
			 Environment (DOE) 253 2,758 
			 Finance and Personnel (DFP) 1,825 1,098 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) 892 136 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) 220 255 
			 Employment and Learning (DEL) 1,792 n/a 
			 Social Development (DSD) 705 7,161 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) 416 n/a 
			 Sub Total 10,460 16,426 
			 Northern Ireland Office (NIO) 2,522 2,447 
			 Grand Total 12,982 18,873 
			  Notes: DARD Agencies: Forest Service and Rivers Agency. DETI Agencies figure refers to the NDPB Health and Safety Executive for NI which is staffed by civil servants. DRD Agencies: Roads Service and Water Service. DOE Agencies: Driver and Vehicle Licensing NI, Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency, Environment and Heritage Service and Planning Service. DFP Agencies: Land Registers for NI, NI Statistics and Research Agency, Rates Collection Agency and Valuation and Lands Agency. DHSSPS Agencies figure includes Health Estates (Agency), and the NDPB Mental Health Commission which is staffed by civil servants. DCAL Agencies: Ordnance Survey NI and Public Record Office NI. DSD figures include staff working on DWP services (Belfast Benefit Centre, and CSA Eastern Business Unit) which are fully funded by DWP. DSD Agencies: Child Support Agency and Social Security Agency, NIO figures include around 140 Home Civil Service Posts and all temporary staff as time did not allow detailed analysis to exclude HCS staff and temporary staff not blocking permanent posts. NIO Department includes NIO Core, Public Prosecution Service, and Police Service (Admin staff). The NIO Agencies are: NI Prison Service, Youth Justice Agency (Admin staff), Forensic Science for NI, and the Compensation Agency.

Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

David Hanson: No criminal offences have been created by Acts since April 2005. The offences created by Order in Council since April 2005 will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Expenditure

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the levels of under-capacity and over-capacity are in the accommodation of  (a) each of the Northern Ireland departmental headquarters and  (b) each of their out-offices; and what the annual recurring costs are associated with each of (i) the Northern Ireland departmental headquarters buildings and (ii) each of their out-offices.

David Hanson: It is not possible to determine over or under-capacity in accommodation currently as there is no set space standard. However it is estimated that less than 1.5 per cent. of floor space is vacant. In the longer term, the Workplace 2010 initiative aims to provide a more flexible and modern working environment and will introduce space standards against which over and under capacity can be measured.
	Tables setting out the recurring costs for buildingsor parts thereofthat are headquarter buildings and also for out-offices on a departmental basis will be placed in the Library. The figures shown are for 2005-06 and include items such as rent, rates, maintenance, fuel and furniture charges.

Departmental Expenditure

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars are  (a) owned and  (b) leased by each department under his authority in Northern Ireland; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each requires; what the fuel efficiency is of each model; and for what purpose each car is used.

David Hanson: Details of the cars, leased and owned by each department under my authority are listed in the following table.
	Cars have been defined as passenger-carrying vehicles for the purpose of this response.
	
		
			  Dept  Model  Owned  Leased  Fuel type  Efficiency  Purpose used 
			 DFP Vauxhall Omega 6  Petrol 23 mpg Ministerial/SCS business use 
			  Peugeot 607 4  Diesel 34 mpg As above 
			  Peugeot 807 1  Diesel 25 mpg As above 
			  Toyota Prius 2  Hybrid (pet/electric 54 mpg As above 
			 DETI Peugeot 607 1  Diesel 30 mpg Departmental business/courier 
			 DHSSPS Volvo S80 1  Petrol 23 mpg Departmental business 
			  Renault Clio  1 Petrol 47 mpg Used by Director of NI Clinical and Social Care Governance Support Team 
			 DARD Citroen Synergie 1  Diesel 35mpg Departmental business - Sea Fisheries Inspectorate 
			  Toyota Landcruiser LC2 1  Diesel 36 mpg Departmental business - Sea Fisheries Inspectorate 
			 DSD Audi A6 Tdi 1  Diesel 38.8 mpg Departmental business 
			 NIO Volvo S80  3 Petrol 30 mpg Departmental business 
			  Vauxhall Omega 1  Petrol 27 mg Departmental business 
			  Vauxhall Vectra 1  Petrol 39 mpg Departmental business 
			  Ford Mondeo 1  Petrol 39 mpg Departmental business

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) the Department for Social Development and  (b) the Department for Employment and Learning spent on the women's community sector in each of the last five years, broken down by spending area.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Social Development has allocated 3,736,249 in total over the last five years to women's organisations as set out in the following tables.
	
		
			
			 2001-02 192,190 
			 2002-03 342,472 
			 2003-04 447,102 
			 2004-05 969,212 
			 2005-06 1,785,271 
			 Total 3,736,247 
		
	
	
		
			
			 EU Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity 2000-06 Measure 3.2 Advice and Information Services 96,318 
			 EU Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity 2000-06 Measure 3.3 Community Sustainability 116,626 
			 The Social Inclusion/Community Regeneration Executive Programme Fund 2003-04, 2004-05 984,973 
			 Rural Women's Networks Programme 2005-06 293,775 
			 Short Term Funding programme to Women's Organisations Delivering Support and Services to Disadvantaged Communities 2005-06 1,034,412 
			 Belfast Regeneration Office Funding to Women's Sector Organisations 1,002,433 
			 North West Development Office Funding to Women's Sector Organisations 207,710 
			 Total 3,736,247

Departmental Staff

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees work in each of the Northern Ireland departments; and how many are employed  (a) in each of the Northern Ireland departmental headquarters, broken down by location and  (b) each of the other offices of each Department.

David Hanson: The total number of employees (permanent and temporary), based on a head count, working in each of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and NIO, including agencies, and in each of the departmental headquarters location at 1 January 2006 (20 June 2006 for NIO) was as follows;
	
		
			  Department  Location of headquarters  Total headcount at 1 January 2006  Headcount at HQ location at 1 January 2006 
			 DARD Dundonald House, Belfast. BT4 4,110 1,099 
			 DETI Netherleigh, Belfast. BT4 747 354 
			 DE Rathgael House, Bangor. 694 565 
			 DRD Clarence Court, Belfast. BT2 4,695 633 
			 DOE Clarence Court, Belfast. BT2 2,785 112 
			 DFP Rathgael House, Bangor 3,050 312 
			 DHSSPS Castle Buildings, Belfast. BT4 1,034 654 
			 DCAL Interpoint, Belfast. BT15 461 171 
			 DEL Adelaide House, Belfast, BT2 1,845 370 
			 DSD Lighthouse, Belfast BT 8,187 332 
			 OFMDFM Castle Buildings, Belfast. BT4 369 41 
			 
			 Sub Total  27,977 4,643 
			 
			 NIO(1) (inc NIPS) Stormont Castle, Belfast BT4 ( 3,744 (153) 73(8) 
			  (Dundonald House, Belfast. BT4)  217 (6) 
			 
			 Grand Total  31,721 4,933 
			 (1) Total NIO headcount figures include NI Prison Service (NIPS) and both NICS and Home Civil Service (HCS) staff. The figures in brackets indicate the number of HCS staff included in each of the NIO totals. NIO and NIPS HQ figures are shown separately. 
		
	
	I have placed in the Library a table showing the number of employees (permanent and temporary), based on a head count, working in departmental headquarters and each of the other offices of each Department.

Departmental Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions officials in  (a) each Department in Northern Ireland and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office have flown by (i) first class and (ii) business class in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was in each case.

David Hanson: Details of how many occasions officials in  (a) Northern Ireland Departments and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office have flown by first class and business class to any destination are set out in the following tables.
	 (a) The figures in respect of officials in Northern Ireland Departments relate only to those booked through the NICS contracted booking agents during the period and do not include any travel booked through other channels as to obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	The current travel contract commenced on 1 October 2004 and details of all flights to any destination booked since that date are set out as follows. There were no first class flights booked during this period.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Business class 2004-05( 1)  Business class 2005-06 
			  Department  Occasions  Cost ()  Occasions  Cost () 
			 DFP 300 85,775 539 158,951 
			 DEL 25 7,460 18 14,186 
			 DENI 5 1,469 5 1,316 
			 DSD 220 64,056 379 104,706 
			 DCAL 17 4,017 21 4,960 
			 DHSSPS 205 55,761 381 102,608 
			 DARD 384 115,153 571 185,097 
			 DETI 99 34,218 172 49,090 
			 DRD 231 65,407 443 126,591 
			 DOE (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 OFMDFM 103 40,047 169 62,284 
			 (1 )Information relates to the period 1 October 2004 to 31 March 2005 (2 )Figures included with DRD 
		
	
	The data provided by the previous NICS travel-booking provider cover the period 1 April 2003 to 31 October 2004 and travel to various destinations. This information is not available by financial year but is aggregated by Department over the period.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   First class  Business class 
			  Department  Occasions  Cost ()  Occasions  Cost () 
			 DFP   617 140,979 
			 DEL   193 88,307 
			 DENI   93 21,714 
			 DSD(1)   416 93,130 
			 DCAL   81 20,442 
			 DHSSPS   1010 198,423 
			 DARD   1112 274,238 
			 DETI 2 8,112 362 115,504 
			 DRD   805 184,594 
			 DOE (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 OFMDFM   67 13,817 
			 (1 )During this period travel bookings in respect of DSD were booked through the Social Security Agency. The figures given represent approximately half of the total bookings during the period, which reflects the normal ratio of flight bookings between DSD:SSA, which was 50:50 during this period (2 )Figures included within DRD 
		
	
	 (b) The number of occasions and associated costs for air travel by staff from the Northern Ireland Office over the last financial year is in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 3 
			   Occasions First Class  Cost First Class ()  Occasions Business Class  Cost Business Class () 
			 2005-06 11 35,340 6,526 1,101,042 
		
	
	Details in relation to previous years are not available.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments and their Agencies and the Northern Ireland Office and its Agencies have a total of 88 websites. During the last financial year the total cost of maintaining these websites was approximately 1,362,399.

Dissident Republican Paramilitaries

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 723W, on dissident Republican paramilitaries, whether on 11 January he was in possession of any information to the effect that dissident Republican paramilitaries were engaged in a major recruitment drive in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: In previous answers to this question (27 February, 16 March and 19 April 2006) the hon. Member was advised that the 8th IMC report published on 1 February 2006, indicated evidence that dissident Republican groups were attempting to recruit members. I can advise that the 10th IMC report published on 26 April 2006 repeats this earlier assessment that dissident Republican groups are attempting to recruit members.

Northern Ireland Memorial Fund

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what total amount has been paid out by the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund in each year since it was created; how many people received money from the fund in each year; and how much has been paid out by the fund to people from  (a) the Unionist community and  (b) the nationalist/republican community.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Memorial Fund was established in 1999 to provide practical support to those bereaved and injured as a result of the troubles.
	The total amounts paid out and the number of people benefiting in each year are as follows:
	
		
			  Year ending  Amount ()  Number of people 
			 2000 491,450.04 1,227 
			 2001 898,141.21 2,309 
			 2002 1,971,244.68 3,619 
			 2003 1,781,356.96 3,421 
			 2004 1,056,444.16 2,174 
			 2005 1,252,397.33 2,377 
			 2006 (January to March) 307,439.08 1,201 
			 Total 7,758,473.46 16,328 
		
	
	Applicants are asked to provide details on how they meet the fund criteria in terms of bereavement or injury. The Northern Ireland Memorial Fund does not require details on community background and therefore cannot provide information relating to money paid in respect of either the Unionist or nationalist/republican community.

Prisons

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many escapes from  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions in Northern Ireland there have been in each year since 1990.

Paul Goggins: The following table sets out the number of prison escapes since 1990. The Maze prison closed in 2000, Maghaberry and Magilligan are male adult prisons and Hydebank Wood is a young offender centre and female prison.
	
		
			   Maze  Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank wood 
			 19911 
			 1995   1 1 
			 1997 1
			 20001 
			 Total 1 Nil 1 3

Prisons

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions there have been for supplying illegal drugs in prisons in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

David Hanson: The court proceedings and sentencing data sources do not include information on the circumstances surrounding the commission of an offence. While the total number of prosecutions for supplying illegal drugs is collated, those which occurred in prisons cannot be separately identified.

Rape

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average length of sentence in Northern Ireland for  (a) rape and  (b) serious sexual assault was in each of the last five years, broken down by whether the defendant pleaded guilty.

David Hanson: Due to a change in the data source for prosecutions and sentencing data, information disaggregated by defendant plea is not available beyond 1999. The 1999 data is provided in the following table.
	Table 1 also provides the number sentenced to immediate custody for rape (including attempts) and indecent assault in 2000 to 2003 and the average length of custodial sentence passed for each.
	Figures beyond 2003 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number sentenced to immediate custody( 1)  and the average sentence length in months( 2)  for rape, attempted rape and indecent assault 1999-2003 
			Rape( 3)  Indecent assault( 4) 
			   Plea  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Average sentence length (months)  Number sentenced to immediate custody  Average sentence length (months) 
			 1999 Guilty 7 89 24 23 
			  Not guilty 1 72 3 17 
			 2000 n/a 9 95 (3)40 20 
			 2001 n/a 17 96 42 18 
			 2002 n/a 9 79 (4)21 31 
			 2003 n/a 9 92 37 21 
			 (1) Figures include persons sentenced to prison, YOG, and custody probation. (2) Rounded to nearest whole number. (3) Includes attempts. (4) Indecent assault includes indecent assault on female, indecent assault on male, indecent assault on female child and indecent assault on male child.  Note: Figures are based on principal offence rule.

Rates

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he proposes to freeze rates on industrial property at 25 per cent. for the period 2007-08.

David Hanson: No. I will, however, reflect on the Assembly resolution.

Recycling

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in encouraging people in Northern Ireland to recycle.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment, building on its Wake up to Waste programme, has continued to support the design, promotion and delivery of local waste awareness campaigns. This has made a major contribution to the dramatic increase in household waste recycling from 5 per cent. in 1999 to 23.4 per cent. in 2005.
	The recently published Waste Management Strategy also contains policies and actions aimed at increasing resource efficiency through the promotion of recycling.

Security Expenditure

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely impact on security expenditure if the Northern Ireland Assembly is successfully re-established and the paramilitary ceasefire remains permanent; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The safety of the people of Northern Ireland remains the Government's paramount priority; however there is no correlation between the successful re-establishment of the Assembly and the Government's plans for security expenditure in Northern Ireland.
	The latest IMC and HCD reports are encouraging. Progress remains dependent on the maintenance of an enabling environment and it is in everyone's interest that Northern Ireland continues to move forward economically, socially and politically.
	Politicians elected by the people of Northern Ireland need to take key decisions, which is why we must succeed in getting the Assembly up and running as soon as possible.

Senior Smart Pass

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people aged over 65 years in Northern Ireland have a senior smart pass; and what percentage this is of the total number eligible.

David Cairns: Since 2002 188,126 senior smart passes have been issued.
	There is no record of the number of passes issued to people who have subsequently died and it is therefore not possible to say how many senior smart passes are currently in circulation as a proportion of those eligible.

Sustainable Development

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 106-7WS, on sustainable development, whether the Planning Service in Northern Ireland plans to change the basis on which planning applications submitted before the date of that statement are assessed.

David Cairns: The Planning Service has no plans to change the basis on which planning applications submitted on or before 16 March 2006 are assessed.
	Those planning applications in the system on or before 16 March 2006 will not be affected by Planning Policy Statement 14 Sustainable Development in the Countryside (PPS 14) unless they are still being processed when the draft policy is confirmed. At that stage PPS 14 will be have to be taken into consideration.

Victims Memorial

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in providing a permanent memorial in Northern Ireland to victims of terrorism.

David Hanson: The Government are aware of the sensitivities surrounding the issue of memorials in Northern Ireland and the lack of consensus on the issue. However, we do not feel that the time is yet right to consider establishing a permanent memorial. We appreciate that many would like to see some form of permanent memorial to those who have suffered as a result of the troubles.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Private Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the size is of his private office in square feet.

John Prescott: 802 square feet.

HEALTH

Aircraft Trails

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) reviewed on the impact on health of the trails left by aircraft in the sky; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There has been no research commissioned or reviewed on the impact on health of vapour trails left by aircraft in the sky.

Ambulance Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the establishment of cadet training in the ambulance service; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 27 June 2006
	We have no record of any discussion between the Secretary of State for Health and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the establishment of cadet training in the ambulance service. However, cadet training does take place in different parts of the health service and cadet schemes have been introduced locally by trusts and strategic health authorities as a means of strengthening and widening access to different professions in the national health service.

Audiology Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation took place with  (a) charities,  (b) patient groups and  (c) NHS trusts prior to the decision to exclude audiology services from the Government's 18-week waiting time target for treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Department conducted a six-week consultation exercise in autumn 2005 on the Commissioning an 18-week patient pathway: Proposed principles and definitions: A discussion document. This consultation exercise asked for comments on a wide range of issues, including on delivering shorter waiting times for audiology services. The Department specifically requested feedback on the document from the patients' association, the patients' forum, and the national health service, along with professional bodies. The Department also received feedback from Royal National Institute for the Deaf.
	The majority of audiology and adult hearing services are accessed directly from primary care and are outside the scope of the 18-week pathway, which is focused on hospital pathways. Hearing and balance conditions that do need to be referred to a medical consultant will be subject to the 18-week's target. We do not intend to reconsider this principle. However, reducing the time that patients wait for directly accessed services is important and an action plan is being developed to improve access to audiology services outside the 18-week pathway.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish a departmental inquiry into the use of funds by Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority and how the planned savings expected of its constituent organisations were determined.

Caroline Flint: The role of the Department is to ensure that strategic health authorities (SHAs) comply with the operating framework guidance published on 26 January 2006. Individual SHAs are responsible for the performance management of their national health service organisations and for ensuring that they achieve financial balance.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were carried out in each NHS surgical centre within Gloucestershire, Avon and Wiltshire strategic health authority area in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by appropriate data field; and how many were carried out on the NHS in the private sector, broken down by appropriate data field.

Caroline Flint: There are two national health service treatment centres in Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority (SHA); one is located in Weston and the other in Swindon. In 2005-06, the Weston area healthcare trust completed 1,621 first finished consultant episodes (FFCEs), and Marlborough NHS trust completed 4,354 FFCEs. In 2005-06, there were no independent sector treatment centres in this SHA.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 16 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1546-47W, on health care (Stroud), which primary care trusts and health trusts in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority area are placed in which category of turnaround arrangement; and what effect placing in each category has on their expected contribution to that strategic health authority's re-balancing of funding.

Caroline Flint: The turnaround assessment stage resulted in KPMG rating organisations as:
	immediate priority, where there is the need for urgent intervention to drive turnaround;
	additional expertise/resource needed to support the turnaround;
	drive or focusmaintaining a high priority of actions; and
	regular challenge of management, encouraging to share what works and deliver easy wins.
	Organisations in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wilshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) were placed in the following categories:
	
		
			  Organisation/primary care trust (PCT)  Category 
			 Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT 1 
			 West Wiltshire PCT 1 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 1 
			 Cotswold and Vale PCT 2 
			 North Somerset PCT 2 
			 RUH Bath NHS Trust 3 
			 South Wiltshire PCT 3 
		
	
	The categories were produced by KPMG after discussions with the local NHS in December 2005 and February 2006. They assist local management in prioritising turnaround work and do not lead to a specific contribution to the SHA's financial plan.

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that NHS trusts and primary care trusts in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority area which do not have deficits are not required to contribute financially to rectifying the deficits of other such trusts in the area.

Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 835W.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emitted by NHS organisations in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the total cost to the NHS of purchasing energy in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Record investment in new facilities and capacity to reduce waiting times is reflected in the size of the national health service estate increasing by 14 per cent. in the past five years. Carbon and CO2 emissions, relative to the size of the estate, have fallen by an average of 0.5 per cent. per year over the same period, demonstrating greater energy efficiency and the use of cleaner fuels. Future shifts towards more local energy efficient healthcare facilities, in line with the recent White Paper Our health, our care, our say, will ensure that this trend is continued.
	Energy costs are principally influenced by changes in utility supplier prices and the quantum of energy consumption. Carbon emissions are mainly influenced by the amount and type of energy used. The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Energy cost ( million)  Carbon dioxide emissions (million tonnes) 
			 1997-98 198.58 3.04 
			 1998-99 178.46 3.06 
			 1999-2000 184.46 3.05 
			 2000-01 199.97 3.18 
			 2001-02 246.27 3.45 
			 2002-03 247.84 3.46 
			 2003-04 263.67 3.47 
			 2004-05 312.31 3.40

Cost-benefit Analysis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the recent White Paper, what cost-benefit analysis her Department has undertaken of the proposal to move the six clinical areas into the community.

Andy Burnham: A project is under way to look at how care can be made more convenient for patients in the six speciality areas referred to in chapter six of the White Paper Our health, our care, our say: a future direction for community services. An evaluation of demonstration sites showing how care can be made convenient for patients has been commissioned from the national primary care research and development centre at the university of Manchester and the intention is to publish the results in the summer of 2007.

Healthcare Facility (Oldchurch Park, Romford)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  who will be liable for building maintenance and site costs at the new healthcare facility being built at Oldchurch Park, Romford;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to limit the environmental impact of the construction of the new Oldchurch Hospital in Romford.

Ivan Lewis: North East London strategic health authority (SHA) has advised departmental officials that Sodexho will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the building. Long-term maintenance of the building will be undertaken by a combination of Sodexho and Catalyst. All maintenance and replacement costs of medical equipment will be covered by Siemens. The SHA advises that there will be no maintenance costs from national health service funds.
	North East London SHA has advised departmental officials of the following steps that are being taken to limit the environmental impact of the construction of the new Oldchurch Hospital.
	 Parking
	The trust reports that it has provided 1,351 spaces, the maximum the planning authority and the Mayor of London would allow. This was an increase of roughly 250 spaces more than had been allowed under the outline consent. Parking for bicycles is also provided in a number of locations.
	 Public transport
	The new hospital incorporates a new bus station with standing for seven buses. At the onset, Transport for London will operate between two and four services through the new hospital site.
	 Road access
	The new hospital will be accessed from Rom Valley Way via an enhanced traffic light controlled junction, together with a new roundabout, pedestrian pavements and road crossing facilities. The Oldchurch Road has been widened and a traffic control junction provided at Oldchurch Rise. Use of Oldchurch Rise entrance on to the site will be restricted to ambulances and public transport.
	 Impact on the surrounding area
	The trust reports that it is contributing funds under the Section 106 agreement for the London borough of Havering to implement parking restrictions in adjoining roads. This is in addition to contributions towards replacement leisure facilities, public footpaths and cycleway. A children's play area and kickabout pitch for local children was built and handed over before construction commenced.
	I understand that the new hospital building is relatively low rise and is positioned centrally on the site, with the public open space wrapping around it, which together with appropriate landscaping thereby minimises the visual impact. The new hospital incorporates traditional materials such as brick and timber, thereby creating a softer visual statement.
	 Energy saving
	The trust reports that the new hospital is built with the latest Building Control Part L regulations concerning heat loss, which together with use of combined heat and power technology, will create a building substantially more efficient that the buildings to be vacated.

Hearing Aid Council (Amendment) Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Hearing Aid Council (Amendment) Act 1989; what recent representations she has received about the operation of this Act; and whether she has plans to amend this Act.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply. 
	The Department is happy with the operation of the said Act. As might be expected, there were protests earlier this year when the retention fee for dispensers was increased, but no Act amendment representations have been received. The Hampton report in 2004 suggested for economies of scale that the possibility of merging the duties of the Hearing Aid Council into other bodies should be considered, and the department, in conjunction with the council, continues to explore this.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which Government Bills sponsored by her Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced;
	(2)  what plans she has for legislation in the next session of Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1431W by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Straw).

Macugen

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for provision on the NHS of the drug Macugen for age-related macular degeneration in advance of a decision on licensing and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraisal; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department has made it clear that patients should not be refused a treatment simply because guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is unavailable. In these circumstances, we expect primary care trusts to take full account of available evidence when reaching decisions on whether to provide the treatment.

Mantoux Skin Test

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking in relation to the use of the Mantoux skin test for tuberculosis within the NHS in advance of the manufacturers of the purified protein derivative utilised in the test applying for a licence for the product.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 239-40W.

Maternity Units

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the number of home births if Stroud maternity unit closes;
	(2)  if she will carry out an evaluation into the closure of Stroud maternity unit, including evidence from service users.

Caroline Flint: The Government are committed to offering, by 2009, all women the choice of how and where they give birth, including in hospital, a midwifery-led unit and at home.
	It is for primary care trusts and national health service trusts to determine the appropriate pattern of service-provision locally, taking into account the needs of local people, evidence of effectiveness and available resources.

Ministerial Meetings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings Ministers in her Department have held with hon. Members in each of the last three years, broken down by political party.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested for the past three years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, we can provide the number of meetings Ministers have had with hon. Members for the last six months. Since 1 January 2006, Ministers in the Department have met with 191 Labour hon. Members, 37 Conservative hon. Members and six Liberal Democrat hon. Members.

NHS Managers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers were employed in the NHS in England on 1 April  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006.

Rosie Winterton: In the same period, the national health service budget has grown from 33 billion in 1996-97 to 77.8 billion in 2005-06; and the number of staff has increased by over 300,000. Managers make up less than 3 per cent. of the NHS work force.

NHS Pension Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of 18 October 2005 on public service pensions, that all sector scheme negotiations would be completed by March 2006, when she will announce the details of the consultation on the new proposed benefit structure for new entrants for the NHS Pension Scheme; whether the negotiations have been completed; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Negotiations are continuing between NHS employers, on behalf of the Department and the NHS staff side. Following completion of the negotiations, consultations will take place on the proposals including time scales for implementation of a new pension scheme.

NHS Staff

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified  (a) nurses and  (b) doctors have not been able to find relevant employment within six months of qualifying in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Obesity

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on promoting the cross-Government campaign to raise public awareness of the health risks of obesity.

Caroline Flint: At a bilateral meeting on 15 June, my hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I discussed further development of the cross-Government campaign to promote every-day activity and to raise public awareness of the health risks of obesity.

Opencast Sites

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of health effects on people living close to open-cast sites; and whether differences have been observed in health effects during different seasons of the year.

Caroline Flint: No assessment has been made since 1999 when a statement appertaining to the possible effects of exposure to particles generated by open-cast mining was placed on the committee on medical aspects of air pollution's (COMEAP) website. No assessment of seasonal factors has been made. The COMEAP opinion may be found on the COMEAP's website at:
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/.

Operations

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1117W, on operations, if she will publish the same data for the years 1988-89 to 1996-97 for England only.

Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library. 1989-90 is the earliest year for which data is available. In more recent years as more activity has shifted from in-hospital settings to out-patients and primary care, growth in day cases has slowed and ordinary admissions have started to reduce. This trend is expected to continue.

Patient Transport

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average ambulance travel times between  (a) the centre of Littlehampton,  (b) Rustington and  (c) Wick and (i) St. Richards hospital in Chichester and (ii) the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

PM2.5 Particulates

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the health effects of PM2.5 particulates, with particular reference to  (a) respiratory and  (b) cardiovascular health.

Caroline Flint: The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants (COMEAP) has recently published a report on air pollution and cardiovascular disease. This report focuses on particulate matter and, in so far as the available data permit, on particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometres or smaller in size (PM2.5). The comprehensive report can be found on COMEAP's website at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/. No recent assessment of effects of PM2.5 on the respiratory system has been made. This will be addressed during COMEAP's work on the quantification of effects of air pollutants on health. Work so far has focused on PM2.5 and effects on mortality. It seems that the majority of the effects reported in the literature reflect the effect of particles on the cardiovascular system.

Policy Research Programme

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is available to the policy research programme within the Department in 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: The policy research programme budget is currently 32.5 million per annum.

Policy Research Programme

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mental health research priorities are within the policy research programme.

Andy Burnham: Current priorities in mental health for the policy research programme are:
	research to support the national suicide strategy;
	new roles in the mental health work force;
	mental health legislation;
	adolescent mental health; and
	evaluating the care services improvement partnership.

Primary Care Trusts

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what population is served by each primary care trust.

Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Primary Care Trusts

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1762W, on primary care trusts, what range of work is in hand; and what arrangements Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority have in place to ensure delivery.

Caroline Flint: The Department is supporting the national health service in delivering the Government's targets on retinopathy screening by supporting local delivery with a United Kingdom national screening committee (NSC) programme, carried out with professional organisations and Diabetes UK, which aims to reduce variability, help the development of a systematic approach where none exists and improve performance and quality. This includes Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority (SHA).
	Funds have also been made available to support the purchase of digital cameras and related equipment for diabetic retinopathy screening. The capital funds increase so that the largest sum is available from April 20055 million in 2003-04, 9.6 million in 2004-05 and 12.4 million in 2005-06.
	Furthermore, primary care trusts (PCTs) are monitored on their progress towards achieving the target. The target is included within the local delivery agreements between SHA and PCTs, which are reviewed quarterly through a data return to the Department.

Public Health Pilots

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated by her Department to pilot projects targeting public health, including those relating to obesity, in each of the last two years; how much is projected to be allocated during the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has allocated central funding to a range of pilot projects aimed at improving public health. Examples of public health related pilots include HIV and syphilis community testing, early abortion and genito-urinary medicine development pilots, local exercise action pilots, school pedometer pilots and piloting the new healthy start scheme. An exact funding figure is not available, but in excess of 3 million was allocated in 2005-06 and similar funding is expected in the coming 12 months.

Special Advisers

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of her Department.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 27 June 2006
	Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Bullying

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department is taking to tackle the bullying of autistic children in schools.

Jim Knight: This Government makes it clear that all forms of bullying are unacceptable. We have introduced a series of measures to prevent and tackle bullying in our schools as well as providing support for the victims of bullying. We intend to issue guidance for schools and local authorities in the coming months on how to draw up and implement an effective anti-bullying policy, and this will look at how to address the needs of all bullied children including those with autistic spectrum disorders.

Bullying

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of racist bullying were recorded by  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: We are unable to provide this information as we do not collect these data centrally. However, individual schools are required to record all incidents of racist bullying and local authorities may keep records for their own area.

Cadet Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the expansion of cadet forces in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is running a pilot project with a small number of state schools to establish new cadet forces (CCF) in these schools. In order to do this the MOD has drawn on an existing list of schools that had already indicated interest. The Department has discussed this list with the MOD.
	Funding for this is being provided directly by the Treasury. The Department has therefore not had any discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer around, nor any involvement in the funding of, this pilot project.

Community Sports Facilities

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what cross-departmental discussions have taken place with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ensuring that the Building Schools for the Future programme delivers effective community sport facilities in new build and refurbished schools.

Jim Knight: Ministers from this Department meet our Culture Media and Sport counterparts regularly to discuss our joint schools PE and sports strategy, including curriculum matters and the community use of facilities. There is also regular contact between our respective departmental officials, including those from Partnerships for Schools, the delivery body for Building Schools for the Future.

Education Expenditure, Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average expenditure was per pupil in Bristol in the  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06 financial year.

Jim Knight: The following table gives a breakdown of the available data for City of Bristol  (a) 1996-97. However, the information requested at  (b) 2005-06 financial is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 outturn data relating to the 2005-06 financial year from August 2006.
	
		
			  City of Bristol combined local authority and school based expenditure( 1)  per pupil( 2)  per pupil 
			per pupil 
			 1996-97(3, 4) 2,990 
			 2004-05(4) 4,240 
			 (1) The combined LA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LA maintained establishments and pupils educated by the LA other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). (2) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the Section 52 outturn tables. (3) Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under fives funded by the LA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DfES Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under five pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included from 1999-2000 onwards. Also included are other LA maintained pupils which includes all pupils attending schools not maintained by the authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the authority drawn from the Form 8b submitted to the DfES. Also included as other LA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis. (4) Figures prior to 1999-2000 exclude any expenditure on service, strategy and regulation. For Bristol LA this would add roughly 9 to the 1996-97 unit cost.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Cash terms figures as reported by City of Bristol local authority as at 23 June 2006.

Education Expenditure, Bristol

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to special needs education provision in the Bristol local education authority area in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs in Bristol local authority since 2000-01 Cash terms figures as reported Bristol local authority as at 26 June 2006 
			
			 2000-01 22,602,000 
			 2001-02 28,522,000 
			 2002-03 28,361,000 
			 2003-04 30,917,000 
			 2004-05 30,758,000 
			 2005-06 32,844,000 
			 2006-07 35,097,000 
			  Notes: 1. Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as notional SEN and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools. Does not include any contribution to combined budgets or fees for pupils at independent schools for pupils without SEN. 2. The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against notional SEN are only indicative of the amount that might by spent by schools on SEN. From 2004-05 onwards notional SEN delegated to nursery schools was reported on Section 52 for the first time and accounts for 0.5 million, 0.6 million and 0.6 million of the 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 totals respectively. In 2005-06 and 2006-07, Bristol LA also budgeted 3.7 million and 5.3 million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the above table as figures are not available prior to 2005-06. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. 4. 2006-07 data is provisional and is therefore subject to change by the local authority.  Source: The data are drawn from Bristol local authority's Section 52 Budget Statements (tables 1 and 2) submitted to the DfES.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in  (a) each local authority which retains grammar schools,  (b) each grammar school within each such authority and  (c) other secondary schools within each authority received free school meals on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

GCSE (Foreign Languages)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which foreign languages pupils were entered in GCSEs for schools in Tamworth in 2005.

Jim Knight: Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools in Tamworth constituency were entered in French, German, and Spanish GCSE full courses in 2004/05.

GCSE Results

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual change in point scores at GCSE was in  (a) specialist schools,  (b) grammar schools,  (c) academies and  (d) all secondary schools between 2001 and 2005.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The information requested is outlined in the following table. Due to a change in the point score system there is a break in the series in 2004.
	
		
			  Before change to the point score system 
			   2001  2004   
			   Number of schools  Uncapped average point score  Number of schools  Uncapped average point score  Change in average point score 2001-04  Average annual change in average point score 
			 Specialist (as at September 2000) 524 42.0 524 45.3 3.3 1.1 
			 Specialist in a given year 524 42.0 1,429 44.3 (1) (1) 
			 Grammar 164 62.9 164 65.6 2.7 0.9 
			 Academies n/a n/a 11 29.4 n/a n/a 
			 All maintained mainstream secondary schools inc CTC and academies 3,134 39.2 3,110 41.8 2.6 0.9 
		
	
	
		
			  After change to the point score system 
			  2004 2005  
			   Number of schools  Uncapped average point score  Number of schools  Uncapped average point score  Change in average point score 2004-05 
			 Specialist (as at September 2000) 524 369.3 524 379.8 10.5 
			 Specialist in a given year 1,429 361.5 1,931 368.9 (1) 
			 Grammar 164 499.2 164 507.6 8.4 
			 Academies (as at September 2004) 11 255.6 11 275.6 20.0 
			 Academies in given year 11 255.6 14 282.1 (1) 
			 All maintained mainstream secondary schools inc CTC and academies 3,110 343.2 3,110 354.0 10.8 
			 (1) Changes in average point score have only been shown were we have compared the same schools over time.  Notes: 1. Some grammar schools are specialist. 2. There were no academies in 2001.

Learning and Skills Council

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers the Learning and Skills Council has (a) to open new post-16 facilities and  (b) to withdraw funding from existing post-16 facilities (i) with and (ii) without the agreement of the local education authority for the area; and what (A) informal and (B) formal consultation is required before such proposals are (1) made and (2) implemented.

Bill Rammell: The LSC has powers to propose new school sixth forms and 16-19 schools under section 113A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 as inserted by section 72 of the Education Act 2002, as part of local 16-19 reorganisation, where it can demonstrate that the proposals will improve participation, raise standards or broaden the range of provision or following recommendations in an Ofsted area inspection report. The LSC also has powers to propose new Further Education Colleges under section 51 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. In both circumstances the legislation requires the LSC to consult formally and widely, including with the local authority. Reorganisation proposals made by the LSC are decided by the Secretary of State.
	The Learning and Skills Act 2000 places a duty on the LSC to make best use of resources (Section 2), gives the LSC the powers to secure the provision of funds to providers of post-16 education and training (Section 5) and impose conditions (Section 6). These powers cover the provision of funding to FE corporations and other providers of post-16 education and training.
	Section 7 of the Act gives the LSC the power to make a grant to a local authority to be applied as part of the authority's local schools budget and with a view to the grant being used for the purpose of or connected with the provision by schools of post-16 education.
	The LSC has discretion whether to provide, increase, reduce or withdraw funding. However the LSC must exercise its powers reasonably and this means it would normally be expected to consult with the recipient of any funding before withdrawing funding and take into account any representations they wish to make. The LSC must also take into account all relevant matters in reaching any decisions including the need to fulfil its statutory duties to secure proper or reasonable provision.

Missing Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to collect and publish information on the support services available to children who run away or go missing from care or home in each children's services area.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 26 June 2006
	Each local authority, through their children's services authority arrangements, is required by the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme to set up an accessible children's services directory, including information on services for vulnerable young people such as those who run away or go missing. Local authorities must also produce a Children and Young People Plan setting out how services, including those for vulnerable young people, will operate. Such services are for local authorities to determine, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders in their area, according to local need.
	Many local authorities have already placed their service directories on their existing website, while others have created new sites, giving them easy-to-find titles appropriate to local community circumstances (e.g. Help4me.info in Cheshire and Merseyside).
	In 2005 the Department commissioned research by the National Family and Parenting Institute to look at how local authorities were linking up their directories. From those who took part, we have compiled a list of local authority children's services web links. These are available on the Every Child Matters website. However, my Department has no other current plans to collect and publish information nationally on what specific services operate in every area.

Missing Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in giving teachers more support online on how they can help prevent running away; and if he will ensure that the schools pack produced following the Social Exclusion Unit report on running away is available online.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The schools pack referred to was developed by Shelter and Connexions, and launched by the Department in 2004. It is available via the teachernet website (teachemet.gov.uk) and Shelter's own website. Shelter also produced a pack for personal social and health education (PSHE) teachers: Talk before you walk, which is available via their website.
	Opportunity exists within the current PSHE and citizenship frameworks for schools to explore issues to do with recognising and managing risks involved in running away. The Department is however not prescriptive with schools about what issues they must explore, what resources they must use, or how they should access them, to achieve the learning objectives set out within those frameworks.
	DfES has also run six development projects to test out community-based responses. When we disseminate the lessons learnt so far from these later this year, this will include information, materials and support models from work with schools in the pilot areas.

New School Buildings (Energy Efficiency)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are taken to ensure that the new builds under Building Schools for the Future use energy efficient methods.

Jim Knight: All new buildings must comply with the latest 2006 edition of Part L of the Building Regulations The Conservation of Fuel and Power. Approved Document L (ADL) in support of Part L of the Building Regulations was published in March 2006 and has considerably increased the energy efficiency required of all new buildings including schools compared with the 2002 edition. In addition the new Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method BREEAM Schools which all new build schools are required to complete gives credits for improving the energy efficiency beyond the requirements of ADL. DfES expects all major new build and refurbishment school projects to achieve a very good or excellent rating on BREEAM Schools.

New Technologies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the Department's budget was spent on researching new technologies in the last period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 21 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1882-86W.

Parent School Advisers

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress is being made in establishing the pilot areas for parent school advisers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: 20 local authorities have accepted an invitation to run pilots for parent support advisers in schools. There will be 600 advisers in primary and secondary schools, and recruitment will start this summer. They will take a preventive role, supporting children and families where there are early signs that additional help is needed. They will build on the best that schools are already doing to raise standards by enhancing home-school relationships.

Pupil Attainment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information his Department collects on pupil attainment and social class.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Department for Education and Skills collects the following information on pupil attainment.
	1. Results for the foundation stage profile.
	2. Results at key stages 1, 2 and 3.
	3. Results at GCSE and equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16 4. Results at GSE/VCE A/AS levels and equivalent qualifications approved for use post-16.
	The Department does not collect details of the social class of pupils. However, one commonly used measure of low socio-economic status is eligibility for free school meals (FSM). Pupil attainment figures broken down by FSM eligibility are calculated by the Department.
	Attainment figures have also been available since 2004 by ACORN (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods). The ACORN classification combines geography with demographics and lifestyle information to categorise UK postcodes into five categories. This classification describes people according to the neighbourhood in which they live, and works on the premise that people living in the same neighbourhood will have similar purchasing habits and attitudinal characteristics.
	The Department also uses the Indices of Deprivation 2004 and the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index developed by the Social Disadvantage Research Centre of the University of Oxford on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to identify deprived areas and highlight variations between areas.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pupil-teacher ratio is in  (a) secondary schools,  (b) specialist schools,  (c) academies and  (d) grammar schools in England.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The following table shows the pupil to teacher ratio in maintained secondary schools, special schools, academies and grammar schools in England, January 2006.
	
		
			  Pupil teacher ratios( 1)  in maintained secondary schools, specialist schools, academies and grammar schools in England, January 2006( 2) 
			   Pupil teacher ratio 
			 Local authority maintained secondary schools 16.6 
			 Specialist schools 16.4 
			 Academies 14.5 
			 Grammar schools 16.4 
			 (1) The pupil teacher ratio is the full-time equivalent number of pupils divided by the full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers. Dually registered pupils are excluded. (2 )Provisional.  Source:. Annual Schools Census

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority who will  (a) relocate and  (b) resign when it relocates; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Board of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, as it considers the plans for the relocation of the organisation, in response to the review by Sir Michael Lyons on relocating public sector jobs outside London and the south-east.
	The QCA Board agreed in principle to relocate by March 2010 at its March 2006 meeting, and in May agreed the criteria it will use in considering possible locations. Decisions on its preferred location are expected at the September meeting of the QCA Board, after which recommendations and a business case will go to the Secretary of State, although the final decision is for the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the advice of the Office of Government Commerce.

School Attendance

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children living in England attend schools in Wales, broken down by  (a) type of school,  (b) sex and  (c) age.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 June 2006
	The Department only collects information on pupils who attend schools in England and therefore we are unable to supply information requested. This is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

School Attendance

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children living in Wales attend schools in England, broken down by  (a) type of school,  (b) age and  (c) sex.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 June 2006
	The numbers of pupils residing in Wales who attend maintained schools in England has been provided in the following tables .
	
		
			  (a) By type of school 
			   Number of pupils 
			 Nursery 8 
			 Primary(1) 608 
			 Secondary(1) 1,227 
			 Special(2) 111 
			 Total 1,954 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) By age 
			  Age( 3)  Number of pupils 
			 2 3 
			 3 16 
			 4 80 
			 5 79 
			 6 91 
			 7 85 
			 8 99 
			 9 95 
			 10 81 
			 11 212 
			 12 189 
			 12 199 
			 14 230 
			 15 217 
			 16 133 
			 17 124 
			 18 15 
			 19 6 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) By gender 
			   Number of pupils 
			 Female 922 
			 Male 1,032 
			 Total 1,954 
			  Sources: (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes special schools and non-maintained special schools. (3) Age of pupils calculated at start of the academic year.

School Closures

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school closures there were in each local education authority in each year since 2000; and what percentage this represented of the total number of schools in each area.

Jim Knight: The number of schools closed by local authority during the calendar years 2000 to 2006 are as follow:
	
		
			  School closures and percentage of school stock by local authority by year 
			  Local authority  Stock as at 2006  2000  % of stock 2000  2001  % of stock 2001  2002  % of stock 2002  2003  % of stock 2003 
			 Barking and Dagenham 58 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Barnet 112 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Barnsley 96 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 77 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 210 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Bexley 76 0 0 3 4 1 1 6 8 
			 Birmingham 403 10 2 3 1 4 1 16 4 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 75 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Blackpool 38 0 0 2 5 1 3 0 0 
			 Bolton 119 0 0 0 0 6 5 5 4 
			 Bournemouth 37 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 5 
			 Bracknell Forest 36 0 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 
			 Bradford 195 73 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Brent 79 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Brighton and Hove 87 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Bristol City of 149 8 5 0 0 3 2 1 1 
			 Bromley 95 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Buckinghamshire 221 3 1 5 2 7 3 1 0 
			 Bury 78 1 1 0 0 1 1 8 10 
			 Calderdale 100 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 240 2 1 2 1 4 2 4 2 
			 Camden 51 2 4 0 0 1 2 0 0 
			 Cheshire 326 5 2 0 0 0 0 6 2 
			 City of London 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 272 0 0 2 1 3 1 2 1 
			 Coventry 105 0 0 1 1 6 6 2 2 
			 Croydon 120 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Cumbria 329 2 1 4 1 9 3 2 1 
			 Darlington 39 6 15 0 0 0 0 4 10 
			 Derby 100 3 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Derbyshire 413 0 0 2 0 4 1 2 0 
			 Devon 357 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Doncaster 120 0 0 4 3 5 4 8 7 
			 Dorset 171 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Dudley 105 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 291 0 0 0 0 7 2 2 1 
			 Ealing 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 155 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 1 
			 East Sussex 183 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Enfield 84 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 556 13 2 11 2 5 1 7 1 
			 Gateshead 87 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 292 6 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Greenwich 82 2 2 5 6 2 2 0 0 
			 Hackney 66 1 2 1 2 2 3 3 5 
			 Halton 64 0 0 8 13 0 0 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 48 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 4 
			 Hampshire 507 1 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Haringey 77 8 10 0 0 3 4 0 0 
			 Harrow 66 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hartlepool 37 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Havering 83 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Herefordshire 97 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 505 4 1 12 2 3 1 5 1 
			 Hillingdon 83 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Hounslow 74 0 0 9 12 0 0 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 1 0 0 0 0 5 500 0 0 
			 Islington 57 0 0 1 2 1 2 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 576 1 0 2 0 3 1 5 1 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 95 0 0 4 4 2 2 1 1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kirklees 186 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Knowsley 70 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Lambeth 75 2 3 5 7 3 4 2 3 
			 Lancashire 600 2 0 6 1 12 2 0 0 
			 Leeds 265 0 0 1 0 5 2 0 0 
			 Leicester 101 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 281 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Lewisham 85 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 354 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Liverpool 172 3 2 11 6 14 8 12 7 
			 Luton 75 2 3 3 4 0 0 4 5 
			 Manchester 161 7 4 6 4 2 1 4 2 
			 Medway 105 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 2 
			 Merton 51 0 0 0 0 14 27 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough 51 0 0 0 0 6 12 8 16 
			 Milton Keynes 105 4 4 2 2 0 0 1 1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 93 0 0 4 4 4 4 0 0 
			 Newham 89 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Norfolk 440 4 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 74 2 3 2 3 0 0 2 3 
			 North Lincolnshire 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 North Somerset 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 North Tyneside 72 3 4 4 6 4 6 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 378 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 318 2 1 3 1 4 1 2 1 
			 Northumberland 198 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 2 
			 Nottingham 114 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 346 4 1 37 11 6 2 7 2 
			 Oldham 109 0 0 3 3 6 6 3 3 
			 Oxfordshire 279 1 0 3 1 3 1 14 5 
			 Peterborough 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Plymouth 95 2 2 0 0 3 3 0 0 
			 Poole 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Portsmouth 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Reading 49 1 2 2 4 1 2 0 0 
			 Redbridge 68 1 1 10 15 0 0 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 58 2 3 3 5 0 0 4 7 
			 Richmond upon Thames 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rochdale 91 0 0 6 7 0 0 0 0 
			 Rotherham 123 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 
			 Rutland 20 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 
			 Salford 98 13 13 4 4 0 0 0 0 
			 Sandwell 115 3 3 2 2 2 2 0 0 
			 Sefton 106 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 
			 Sheffield 171 3 2 0 0 8 5 5 3 
			 Shropshire 165 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Slough 43 2 5 2 5 0 0 0 0 
			 Solihull 81 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Somerset 262 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 112 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 67 3 4 0 0 2 3 7 10 
			 Southampton 78 6 8 0 0 0 0 4 5 
			 Southend-on-Sea 49 0 0 2 4 0 0 4 8 
			 Southwark 91 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 St. Helens 68 2 3 0 0 2 3 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 380 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 
			 Stockport 115 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 75 0 0 2 3 3 4 0 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 95 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 
			 Suffolk 333 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 
			 Sunderland 111 0 0 5 5 7 6 1 1 
			 Surrey 375 1 0 7 2 3 1 3 1 
			 Sutton 57 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 4 
			 Swindon 77 10 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tameside 94 0 0 0 0 4 4 3 3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 77 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Thurrock 53 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 
			 Torbay 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 90 0 0 2 2 4 4 2 2 
			 Trafford 91 0 0 2 2 4 4 0 0 
			 Wakefield 145 1 1 5 3 2 1 4 3 
			 Walsall 118 4 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 Waltham Forest 79 0 0 0 0 2 3 7 9 
			 Wandsworth 70 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warrington 84 1 1 2 2 7 8 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 241 2 1 5 2 0 0 1 0 
			 West Berkshire 78 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Sussex 286 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Westminster 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wigan 130 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 240 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 1 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 63 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 
			 Wirral 125 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Wokingham 62 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 2 
			 Wolverhampton 105 6 6 1 1 5 5 0 0 
			 Worcestershire 249 2 1 12 5 0 0 1 0 
			 York 66 5 8 3 5 5 8 0 0 
			 Total Stock/Change 21,360 290 1 302 1 274 1 254 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Local authority  2004  % of stock 2004  2005  % of stock 2005  2006  % of stock 2006  Total  % of stock total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Barnet 5 4 3 3 0 0 9 8 
			 Barnsley 0 0 7 7 0 0 13 14 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 6 8 0 0 8 10 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Bexley 3 4 0 0 0 0 13 17 
			 Birmingham 16 4 6 1 0 0 55 14 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2 3 2 3 0 0 5 7 
			 Blackpool 0 0 4 11 0 0 7 18 
			 Bolton 2 2 0 0 0 0 13 11 
			 Bournemouth 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 11 
			 Bracknell Forest 2 6 2 6 0 0 6 17 
			 Bradford 0 0 3 2 0 0 76 39 
			 Brent 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 4 
			 Bristol City of 1 1 2 1 0 0 15 10 
			 Bromley 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 4 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 7 
			 Bury 2 3 0 0 0 0 12 15 
			 Calderdale 3 3 0 0 0 0 6 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1 0 0 0 0 14 6 
			 Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 
			 Cheshire 5 2 7 2 0 0 23 7 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 1 0 4 1 0 0 12 4 
			 Coventry 1 1 2 2 0 0 12 11 
			 Croydon 2 2 2 2 0 0 8 7 
			 Cumbria 4 1 6 2 0 0 27 8 
			 Darlington 5 13 4 10 0 0 19 49 
			 Derby 4 4 0 0 0 0 9 9 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 
			 Devon 2 1 8 2 0 0 14 4 
			 Doncaster 1 1 1 1 0 0 19 16 
			 Dorset 3 2 4 2 0 0 9 5 
			 Dudley 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Durham 2 1 0 0 0 0 11 4 
			 Ealing 1 1 1 1 0 0 4 5 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1 1 2 1 0 0 7 5 
			 East Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 
			 Enfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Essex 3 1 1 0 0 0 40 7 
			 Gateshead 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 4 1 0 0 14 5 
			 Greenwich 2 2 2 2 0 0 13 16 
			 Hackney 0 0 3 5 0 0 10 15 
			 Halton 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 13 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 
			 Hampshire 4 1 2 0 0 0 13 3 
			 Haringey 5 6 0 0 0 0 16 21 
			 Harrow 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 3 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 
			 Havering 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 
			 Herefordshire 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 
			 Hertfordshire 3 1 14 3 0 0 41 8 
			 Hillingdon 1 1 3 4 0 0 5 6 
			 Hounslow 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 12 
			 Isle of Wight 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 500 
			 Islington 3 5 0 0 0 0 5 9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 2 0 7 1 2 0 22 4 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kirklees 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 
			 Knowsley 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Lambeth 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 16 
			 Lancashire 6 1 5 1 0 0 31 5 
			 Leeds 22 8 9 3 0 0 37 14 
			 Leicester 3 3 2 2 0 0 7 7 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 
			 Lewisham 0 0 2 2 0 0 4 5 
			 Lincolnshire 2 1 2 1 0 0 6 2 
			 Liverpool 8 5 1 1 0 0 49 28 
			 Luton 2 3 0 0 0 0 11 15 
			 Manchester 1 1 1 1 0 0 21 13 
			 Medway 0 0 4 4 0 0 9 9 
			 Merton 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 27 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 1 2 0 0 15 29 
			 Milton Keynes 3 3 0 0 0 0 10 10 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 1 3 3 0 0 12 13 
			 Newham 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 5 
			 North Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 15 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Northamptonshire 18 6 9 3 0 0 38 12 
			 Northumberland 2 1 5 3 2 1 15 8 
			 Nottingham 2 2 9 8 0 0 20 18 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 1 6 2 1 0 66 19 
			 Oldham 2 2 0 0 0 0 14 13 
			 Oxfordshire 0 0 1 0 0 0 22 8 
			 Peterborough 3 4 0 0 0 0 3 4 
			 Plymouth 0 0 4 4 0 0 9 9 
			 Poole 2 5 0 0 0 0 2 5 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Reading 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 10 
			 Redbridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 16 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2 3 4 7 0 0 15 26 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rochdale 2 2 2 2 0 0 10 11 
			 Rotherham 1 1 2 2 0 0 7 6 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 
			 Salford 1 1 5 5 0 0 23 23 
			 Sandwell 0 0 4 3 0 0 11 10 
			 Sefton 2 2 13 12 0 0 18 17 
			 Sheffield 0 0 0 0 2 1 18 11 
			 Shropshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Slough 3 7 0 0 0 0 7 16 
			 Solihull 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Somerset 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 
			 South Gloucestershire 3 3 0 0 0 0 5 4 
			 South Tyneside 2 3 0 0 0 0 14 21 
			 Southampton 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 13 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2 4 4 8 0 0 12 24 
			 Southwark 0 0 2 2 0 0 4 4 
			 St. Helens 4 6 0 0 0 0 8 12 
			 Staffordshire 6 2 7 2 0 0 18 5 
			 Stockport 3 3 9 8 0 0 16 14 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2 3 2 3 2 3 11 15 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 7 7 3 3 0 0 28 29 
			 Suffolk 3 1 2 1 0 0 8 2 
			 Sunderland 6 5 0 0 0 0 19 17 
			 Surrey 7 2 2 1 0 0 23 6 
			 Sutton 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 
			 Swindon 2 3 0 0 0 0 12 16 
			 Tameside 0 0 1 1 0 0 8 9 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4 5 6 8 0 0 12 16 
			 Thurrock 2 4 4 8 0 0 9 17 
			 Torbay 0 0 2 5 0 0 2 5 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 10 
			 Trafford 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 7 
			 Wakefield 1 1 2 1 0 0 15 10 
			 Walsall 0 0 6 5 0 0 13 11 
			 Waltham Forest 2 3 0 0 0 0 11 14 
			 Wandsworth 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 6 
			 Warrington 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 12 
			 Warwickshire 2 1 2 1 0 0 12 5 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 4 5 0 0 4 5 
			 West Sussex 14 5 0 0 0 0 17 6 
			 Westminster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wigan 4 3 2 2 0 0 7 5 
			 Wiltshire 4 2 9 4 2 1 20 8 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 
			 Wirral 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 
			 Wokingham 0 0 1 2 0 0 4 6 
			 Wolverhampton 3 3 0 0 0 0 15 14 
			 Worcestershire 2 1 2 1 0 0 19 8 
			 York 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 20 
			 Total Stock/Change 279 1 287 1 13 0 1,699 8 
			  Note: Isles of Scilly amalgamated their five schools into one school (the Five Islands school) hence the 500 per cent. change in school stock in this authority.  Source: DfES. 
		
	
	The aforementioned figures include schools that closed as a result of the amalgamation or merger of two or more schools; schools that have closed but reopened as voluntary schools with a religious character; and schools that have closed in local authorities that have moved from a three-tier to a two-tier system.

School Fires

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) fatal and  (b) non-fatal injuries resulted from school fires in each year of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many fires there were in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each (i) region and (ii) local education authority in each of the last 10 years; and how many were started deliberately.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 June 2006
	The Department does not collect these statistics, but does have some figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The latest figures we have for England and Wales cover 2000-04.
	
		
			   Number of fires 
			 2000 1,275 
			 2001 1,529 
			 2002 1,332 
			 2003 1,313 
			 2004 1,291 
		
	
	The available data cannot differentiate between primary and secondary schools, or between the public and independent sectors. For all the years covered, 61 per cent. of the school fires were considered to be the result of deliberate fire setting.
	There have been no fatalities due to school fires in the last 10 years, but school fires resulted in 46 non-fatal casualties in 2002 and 40 in 2003the latest figures we have from DCLG. Of the 86 people injured in those two years, 54 were over 18 years old, 29 were aged 11-17, two aged between five and 10, and the age of one casualty is unknown.

Schools Budget

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total school budget was of each local authority for 2004-05; and what proportion was delegated to schools in each authority.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The available information is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Total schools' budget( 1)  and total money delegated to schools( 2)  by local authority during 2004-05 
			Of which:  total amount delegated to schools( 2, 3) 
			  Local authority name  Total schools' budget( 1,3 ) ()Percentage of total schools' budget 
			 England 28,378,783,000 24,868,617,000 87.6 
			 
			 City of London 1,774,000 1,086,000 61.2 
			 Barking and Dagenham 123,004,000 108,570,000 88.3 
			 Barnet 193,853,000 169,651,000 87.5 
			 Barnsley 122,407,000 106,284,000 86.8 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 89,939,000 79,637,000 88.5 
			 Bedfordshire 220,493,000 196,784,000 89.2 
			 Bexley 147,088,000 125,173,000 85.1 
			 Birmingham 719,706,000 649,951,000 90.3 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 99,047,000 86,362,000 87.2 
			 Blackpool 78,383,000 64,179,000 81.9 
			 Bolton 161,789,000 142,577,000 88.1 
			 Bournemouth 73,623,000 62,620,000 85.1 
			 Bracknell Forest 53,416,000 45,651,000 85.5 
			 Bradford 321,379,000 288,876,000 89.9 
			 Brent 170,198,000 149,828,000 88.0 
			 Brighton and Hove 111,176,000 97,577,000 87.8 
			 Bromley 176,580,000 149,825,000 84.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 281,438,000 236,238,000 83.9 
			 Bury 95,743,000 85,180,000 89.0 
			 Calderdale 123,431,000 108,797,000 88.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 262,579,000 234,709,000 89.4 
			 Camden 124,477,000 102,110,000 82.0 
			 Cheshire 368,484,000 313,811,000 85.2 
			 City of Bristol 188,930,000 166,433,000 88.1 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 148,425,000 134,289,000 90.5 
			 Cornwall 260,961,000 222,983,000 85.4 
			 Coventry 187,619,000 163,766,000 87.3 
			 Croydon 197,796,000 175,920,000 88.9 
			 Cumbria 264,240,000 236,477,000 89.5 
			 Darlington 53,392,000 47,335,000 88.7 
			 Derby 138,473,000 122,847,000 88.7 
			 Derbyshire 396,328,000 347,043,000 87.6 
			 Devon 319,856,000 286,441,000 89.6 
			 Doncaster 183,562,000 160,760,000 87.6 
			 Dorset 203,620,000 172,780,000 84.9 
			 Dudley 176,846,000 152,012,000 86.0 
			 Durham 271,183,000 249,392,000 92.0 
			 Ealing 178,586,000 153,917,000 86.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 171,632,000 151,756,000 88.4 
			 East Sussex 246,171,000 214,771,000 87.2 
			 Enfield 201,876,000 177,635,000 88.0 
			 Essex 741,672,000 650,563,000 87.7 
			 Gateshead 108,190,000 93,570,000 86.5 
			 Gloucestershire 304,192,000 263,475,000 86.6 
			 Greenwich 170,630,000 152,318,000 89.3 
			 Hackney 146,186,000 108,723,000 74.4 
			 Halton 77,128,000 65,644,000 85.1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 91,668,000 77,091,000 84.1 
			 Hampshire 620,454,000 543,123,000 87.5 
			 Haringey 156,798,000 135,020,000 86.1 
			 Harrow 112,364,000 98,715,000 87.9 
			 Hartlepool 58,050,000 52,058,000 89.7 
			 Havering 138,314,000 125,975,000 91.1 
			 Herefordshire 80,212,000 70,012,000 87.3 
			 Hertfordshire 638,721,000 565,727,000 88.6 
			 Hillingdon 161,115,000 143,737,000 89.2 
			 Hounslow 151,235,000 133,537,000 88.3 
			 Isle of Wight 74,792,000 62,892,000 84.1 
			 Isles of Scilly 2,022,000 1,907,000 94.3 
			 Islington 117,088,000 100,520,000 85.9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 60,596,000 51,062,000 84.3 
			 Kent 803,297,000 707,384,000 88.1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 80,147,000 71,892,000 89.7 
			 Kirklees 238,729,000 206,598,000 86.5 
			 Knowsley 101,282,000 85,826,000 84.7 
			 Lambeth 144,579,000 126,129,000 87.2 
			 Lancashire 645,308,000 552,860,000 85.7 
			 Leeds 413,736,000 367,784,000 88.9 
			 Leicester 179,114,000 157,165,000 87.7 
			 Leicestershire 333,829,000 286,604,000 85.9 
			 Lewisham 176,890,000 141,393,000 79.9 
			 Lincolnshire 357,592,000 323,724,000 90.5 
			 Liverpool 303,016,000 264,917,000 87.4 
			 Luton 123,522,000 111,606,000 90.4 
			 Manchester 266,455,000 235,250,000 88.3 
			 Medway 169,590,000 149,702,000 88.3 
			 Merton 85,299,000 77,484,000 90.8 
			 Middlesbrough 78,826,000 66,421,000 84.3 
			 Milton Keynes 134,580,000 116,287,000 86.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 144,583,000 125,337,000 86.7 
			 Newham 224,595,000 191,640,000 85.3 
			 Norfolk 399,955,000 355,580,000 88.9 
			 North East Lincolnshire 97,278,000 82,443,000 84.8 
			 North Lincolnshire 86,422,000 75,551,000 87.4 
			 North Somerset 96,186,000 82,754,000 86.0 
			 North Tyneside 104,510,000 96,067,000 91.9 
			 North Yorkshire 299,938,000 271,182,000 90.4 
			 Northamptonshire 364,536,000 323,799,000 88.8 
			 Northumberland 178,247,000 154,693,000 86.8 
			 Nottingham City 157,053,000 139,450,000 88.8 
			 Nottinghamshire 407,872,000 357,373,000 87.6 
			 Oldham 147,627,000 130,998,000 88.7 
			 Oxfordshire 300,641,000 262,193,000 87.2 
			 Peterborough 106,083,000 95,723,000 90.2 
			 Plymouth 146,123,000 126,955,000 86.9 
			 Poole 66,250,000 57,570,000 86.9 
			 Portsmouth 95,693,000 83,445,000 87.2 
			 Reading 64,392,000 55,911,000 86.8 
			 Redbridge 165,256,000 148,930,000 90.1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 84,823,000 75,818,000 89.4 
			 Richmond upon Thames 75,485,000 66,223,000 87.7 
			 Rochdale 134,690,000 116,045,000 86.2 
			 Rotherham 163,381,000 147,320,000 90.2 
			 Rutland 17,092,000 15,870,000 92.9 
			 Salford 130,416,000 109,446,000 83.9 
			 Sandwell 177,150,000 167,081,000 94.3 
			 Sefton 169,695,000 148,475,000 87.5 
			 Sheffield 312,947,000 235,272,000 75.2 
			 Shropshire 139,316,000 116,257,000 83.4 
			 Slough 79,322,000 72,061,000 90.8 
			 Solihull 121,135,000 104,826,000 86.5 
			 Somerset 245,938,000 220,787,000 89.8 
			 South Gloucestershire 134,374,000 116,988,000 87.1 
			 South Tyneside 90,805,000 79,260,000 87.3 
			 Southampton 114,036,000 100,997,000 88.6 
			 Southend 100,684,000 88,181,000 87.6 
			 Southwark 173,295,000 152,210,000 87.8 
			 St. Helens 108,344,000 92,974,000 85.8 
			 Staffordshire 446,754,000 388,557,000 87.0 
			 Stockport 139,217,000 118,696,000 85.3 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 108,756,000 95,774,000 88.1 
			 Stoke on Trent 132,948,000 120,582,000 90.7 
			 Suffolk 351,431,000 313,212,000 89.1 
			 Sunderland 164,841,000 153,409,000 93.1 
			 Surrey 504,842,000 437,813,000 86.7 
			 Sutton 117,990,000 102,825,000 87.1 
			 Swindon 96,118,000 86,102,000 89.6 
			 Tameside 131,368,000 111,668,000 85.0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 97,532,000 80,382,000 82.4 
			 Thurrock 84,592,000 75,899,000 89.7 
			 Torbay 70,790,000 60,739,000 85.8 
			 Tower Hamlets 203,348,000 183,673,000 90.3 
			 Trafford 123,355,000 105,053,000 85.2 
			 Wakefield 169,380,000 155,690,000 91.9 
			 Walsall 170,012,000 149,109,000 87.7 
			 Waltham Forest 151,830,000 139,267,000 91.7 
			 Wandsworth 133,648,000 123,108,000 92.1 
			 Warrington 106,064,000 95,511,000 90.1 
			 Warwickshire 274,447,000 237,407,000 86.5 
			 West Berkshire 89,846,000 78,913,000 87.8 
			 West Sussex 368,614,000 330,195,000 89.6 
			 Westminster 96,001,000 83,280,000 86.7 
			 Wigan 183,453,000 160,517,000 87.5 
			 Wiltshire 220,358,000 191,432,000 86.9 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 72,973,000 63,281,000 86.7 
			 Wirral 195,055,000 169,917,000 87.1 
			 Wokingham 81,444,000 71,057,000 87.2 
			 Wolverhampton 145,683,000 136,367,000 93.6 
			 Worcestershire 277,741,000 245,661,000 88.4 
			 York 85,465,000 73,109,000 85.5 
			 (1 )Total schools' budget is drawn from local authorities Section 52 Budget Statements submitted to the DfES. This is calculated as the gross elements of any grants plus the net elements of the remainder of the budget. (2 )The total amount delegated to schools includes the individual schools' budget as well as any school standards grants, devolved standards fund allocation, excellence in cities grant, additional targeted transitional grant, advance of transitional grant and support for schools in financial difficulty. (3 )Cash figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000 and, therefore, may not sum due to rounding. Figures as reported by local authorities as at 23 June 2006.

Special Needs Standards

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much  (a) the Government and  (b) local authorities have spent commissioning Edison to help local authorities to meet special needs standards;
	(2)  what role Edison is playing in helping local authorities to meet special needs standards; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has not commissioned Edison Schools UK, nor has it made an assessment of the role Edison is playing, to help local authorities meet their duties in regard to special educational needs (SEN). Local authorities have duties to identify, assess and arrange suitable provision for children with SEN and to keep their arrangements for special educational provision under review. Local authorities can buy in consultancy advice to help them with their special needs duties, as can schools, including special schools. The Department does not record how much local authorities have spent commissioning Edison nor what, if any, of this has been spent on SEN consultancy. Through programmed annual performance assessments and periodic joint area reviews of children's services, Ofsted and other inspectorates inspect how local authorities meet their duties, including any arrangements they make with private or voluntary sector organisations.

Specialist Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils at each specialist school which selects a proportion of its pupils by aptitude for its specialist subjects is so selected at each school.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 June 2006
	The Department does not collect this data. However all schools including specialist schools are bound by the limitations set within the School Admissions Code of Practice. Relatively few such schools select in this way. When the Department last collected such data in summer 2001, only 45 schools or 6.5 per cent. of those that were specialist at the time did so.

Swimming Pools

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available for swimming pools through the Building Schools for the Future programme; and whether there are plans to extend this provision.

Jim Knight: Funding for Building Schools for the Future is allocated formulaically, based on pupil numbers and our area guidelines for secondary schools, published in 'Building Bulletin 98'. Within 'Building Bulletin 98' swimming pools are considered to be a 'supplementary area'in other words they are not part of the core school facilities which we fund.
	While Building Schools for the Future funding allocations do not include money for new swimming pools, we do allow existing pools to be refurbished within the programme. It is for each local authority to decide how to make the best use of its overall Building Schools for the Future funding allocation across the schools in a particular project and the scope of works at each school. A decision could be taken locally to put some of the available funding towards a swimming pool instead of the second of the two PE spaces allowed for in our guidelines, but only if the resulting provision satisfies the school's PE curriculum as well or better than the standard provision.
	There is also the option of exploring other sources of funding to supplement that from Building Schools for the Future. In order to help facilitate that locally the Department has produced guidance on joining-up funding in the context of Building Schools for the Future.

Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers are teaching classes in  (a) mathematics,  (b) English,  (c) biology,  (d) physics,  (e) chemistry,  (f) French,  (g) German,  (h) history and  (i) geography in secondary schools in England who have no higher qualification than an A-level in the subject.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of teachers teaching by subject and qualification is collected in periodic staffing surveys the last of which was conducted in November 2002.
	The following tables provide the available information.
	
		
			  D8 Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schoolsHighest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentage  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other   32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002. 
		
	
	
		
			  D9 Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schoolsProportion of subject periods taught to year groups 7-13 holding a post A level qualification( 1)  in that subject ( 2) , England 
			   Percentage  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 52 ± 1 17 ± - 10 ± - 8 ± - 1 ± - 12 ± - 630 
			 English 62 ± 1 15 ± - 6 ± - 6 ± - 1± - 9 ± - 650 
			 
			 Combined/General science 65 ± 1 13 ± - 10 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 6 ± - 610 
			 Biology(4) 76 ± 1 6 ± 1 10 ± 1 3 ± 1 - ± - 5 ± 1 60 
			 Chemistry(4) 80 ± 1 5 ± 1 8 ± 1 1 ± - 2 ± - 5 ± 1 50 
			 Physics(4) 73 ± 2 9 ± 1 9 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± - 6 ± 1 50 
			 Other Sciences(4) 11 ± 2 3 ± 1 4 ± 1 - ± - - ± - 82 ± 2 20 
			 
			 French 61 ± 1 8 ± - 10 ± - 4 ± - 3 ± - 15 ± 1 300 
			 German 59 ± 1 8 ± 1 13 ± 1 1 ± - 3 ± - 16 ± 1 110 
			 Spanish 43 ± 2 13 ± 1 22 ± 2 - ± - 4 ± 1 18 ± 2 50 
			 Other modern languages 27 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 2 - ± - 1 ± 1 63 ± 2 20 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 30 ± 1 25 ± 1 7 ± - 23 ± 1 2 ± - 13 ± - 480 
			 ICT(5, 6) 22 ± 1 11 ± 1 11 ± 1 3 ± - 4 ± - 49 ± 1 210 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 37 ± 3 11 ± 2 12 ± 2 28 ± 3 6 ± 1 6 ± 2 20 
			 
			 Business studies 35 ± 1 11 ± 1 12 ± 1 6 ± 1 4 ± 1 33 ± 1 90 
			 Classics 71 ± 2 - ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 26 ± 2 10 
			 History 70 ± 1 10 ± 1 6 ± - 6 ± - - ± - 8 ± - 250 
			 Religious education 44 ± 1 12 ± 1 11 ± 1 6 ± 1 3 ± - 24 ± 1 190 
			 Geography 69 ± 1 10 ± 1 7 ± - 5 ± 1 1 ± - 9 ± 1 240 
			 Other social studies 54 ± 2 7 ± 1 3 ± - 1 ± - - ± - 35 ± 2 60 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 6 ± 1 10 ± 1 11 ± 1 - ± - 3 ± 1 70 ± 2 50 
			 
			 Music 66 ± 1 18 ± 1 4 ± - 7 ± 1 2 ± - 4 ± - 140 
			 Drama 43 ± 1 14 ± 1 11 ± 1 9 ± 1 2 ± - 22 ± 1 120 
			 Art and design 65 ± 1 11 ± 1 7 ± - 8 ± 1 1 ± - 8 ± 1 210 
			 Physical education 35 ± 1 37 ± 1 5 ± - 15 ± 1 2 ± - 6 ± - 420 
			 Careers education 3 ± 1 5 ± 2 7 ± 2 13 ± 4 4 ± 2 68 ± 5 10 
			 PSHE(6) 2 ± - 2 ± - 2 ± - 2 ± - 1 ± - 92 ± 1 150 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1± 1 - ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 20 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 - ± - - ± - 93 ± 2 20 
			 Other   220 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 51 ± - 15 ± - 8 ± - 8 ± - 2 ± - 17 ± - 5,460 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3). Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6). Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002. 
		
	
	Research by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) conducted during 2005 and published by the Department in January 2006 indicated that 92 per cent. of all teachers teaching science were science specialists with 44 per cent. holding a biology specialism, 25 per cent. holding a chemistry specialism, 19 per cent. a physics specialism and 5 per cent. a specialism in another science. An estimated 2 per cent. of teachers teaching science did not hold a post A-level qualification in science. In addition, the research estimated that 76 per cent. of teachers teaching maths were maths specialists. An estimated 14 per cent. held no post A-level qualification in maths. For both maths and science, the research suggested that specialists deliver a greater proportion of the curriculum time than their relative size within the work force would suggest. For example, although only 10 per cent. of teachers teaching science at Key Stage 4 hold a degree in physics, they deliver 43 per cent. of the curriculum time for GCSE physics with the rest supplied mainly by those with a chemistry degree or those with an initial teacher training specialism in science. (Mathematics and Science in Schools: The Deployment of Teachers and Support Staff to Deliver the Curriculum; Moor et al; DfES; 2006). For further information please see the research report at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR708.pdf

Temporary Mobile Classrooms

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each London borough are using temporary mobile classrooms.

Jim Knight: Data supplied to the Department by local education authorities in recent months show the following numbers of primary and secondary schools in each London borough using temporary mobile classrooms:
	
		
			  London borough  Primary  Secondary 
			 Barking and Dagenham 9 2 
			 Barnet 30 10 
			 Bexley 16 9 
			 Brent 30 5 
			 Bromley 10 1 
			 Croydon 43 10 
			 Ealing 30 6 
			 Enfield 24 7 
			 Greenwich 9 3 
			 Hackney 8 1 
			 Haringey 5 1 
			 Harrow 47 8 
			 Havering 6 4 
			 Hillingdon 4 1 
			 Hounslow 28 14 
			 Islington 5  
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3  
			 Kingston upon Thames  1 
			 Lambeth 21 3 
			 Lewisham 14  
			 Merton 4  
			 Newham 26 7 
			 Redbridge 5 2 
			 Richmond upon Thames 16 4 
			 Southwark 7 1 
			 Sutton 27 13 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 5 
			 Waltham Forest 9 3 
			 Wandsworth 7 1 
			 Westminster 1 1 
		
	
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 1996-97 to 5.8 billion this year and will rise further to over 6.3 billion by 2007-08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary classrooms where they are considered to be unsuitable.
	Modern, high quality mobile or demountable classrooms provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short-term need. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short-term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.

Unauthorised Absence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of half days were missed due to unauthorised absence from maintained mainstream schools in  (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency,  (b) Suffolk and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence in maintained mainstream schools in  (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency,  (b) Suffolk and  (c) England in each year since 1997/98 is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained primary schools( 1)  due to unauthorised absence( 2, 3) 
			   Bury St. Edmunds constituency  Suffolk local authority  England 
			 1997/98 0.1 0.2 0.5 
			 1998/99 0.1 0.2 0.5 
			 1999/2000 0.1 0.2 0.5 
			 2000/01 0.1 0.2 0.5 
			 2001/02 0.2 0.26 0.45 
			 2002/03 0.2 0.25 0.43 
			 2003/04 0.2 0.27 0.41 
			 2004/05 0.2 0.31 0.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of half days missed in maintained secondary schools( 1)  due to unauthorised absence( 2,3) 
			   Bury St. Edmunds constituency  Suffolk local authority  England 
			 1997/98 0.3 0.5 1.1 
			 1998/99 0.2 0.5 1.1 
			 1999/2000 0.3 0.6 1.0 
			 2000/01 0.3 0.6 1.1 
			 2001/02 0.4 0.89 1.09 
			 2002/03 0.7 1.08 1.07 
			 2003/04 0.8 1.32 1.13 
			 2004/05 0.8 1.29 1.23 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Due to local government reorganisation, regional figures are not available prior to 1998. (3) Local authority figures are only available to 1 decimal place prior to 2000. Constituency level figures are only provided to 1 decimal place.  Note: Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Unauthorised Absence

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of schoolchildren took unauthorised absence from school in  (a) Torbay and  (b) England in 2005-06.

Jim Knight: Figures for unauthorised absence from schools in 2005/06 are not yet available. The percentage of pupils who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence in primary and secondary schools in  (a) Torbay local authority and  (b) England in 2004/05 are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils in primary schools( 1)  who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence in 2004/05 
			   Torbay local authority  England 
			 Number of day pupils of compulsory school age 8,757 3,565,048 
			 Number of pupils who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence 1,235 583,859 
			 Percentage of pupils who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence 14 16 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils in secondary schools( 1)  who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence in 2004/05 
			   Torbay local authority  England 
			 Number of day pupils of compulsory school age 7,868 3,037,013 
			 Number of pupils who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence 3,078 774,347 
			 Percentage of pupils who missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence 39 25 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Note: Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Testing

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which procedures animals may be subject over the course of a two-year carcinogenicity study; and what the severity is of each procedure.

Joan Ryan: Under project licence authorities issued under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, a two year carcinogenicity study would involve a series of regulated procedures forming a single protocol. The regulated procedures in the series would entail the administration of the test substance by one of a number of routes, for example, orally, by injection, through inhalation, or applied to the skin. Each route would be expected to produce only mild, momentary discomfort. Occasional blood samples may also be taken in some cases. The licence authorities require that animals will be humanely killed before any tumours produced during the observation period cause serious adverse effects. Overall the protocol would be expected to be of mild or moderate severity.
	The International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publish International guidelines for the conduct of carcinogenicity studies for pharmaceuticals and chemicals, respectively, to which studies conducted in the United Kingdom are expected comply.

Cash Delivery Crime

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures  (a) have been introduced since 1997 and  (b) are planned to combat violent crime against cash delivery personnel in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the security industry and the police have introduced a number of measures to combat cash-in-transit (CIT) attacks. This includes disseminating good practice, increased use of technology to protect CIT deliveries and close working between the industry and the police to share intelligence relating to cash-in-transit robberies.
	Earlier this year the then Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety, my right hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Hazel Blears) met with representatives of the GMB Union, Group Four Security and the BSIA to identify the next steps to address the problem issue of cash-in-transit robberies.
	Officials have continued to meet with the representatives as recently as 22 June, and are developing a programme to address a number of issues around CIT attacks. This includes engaging other Government departments on how to implement environmental crime reduction measures, developing good practice guidance in conjunction with ACPO, and examining delivery procedures that expose CIT personnel to the risk of attack. This work will include sending out a strong deterrent message to perpetrators of such crimes.
	This is in addition to the continued work to tackle violent crime involving guns and other weapons.

CCTV

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of closed circuit television footage in  (a) deterring and  (b) prosecuting offenders who commit assaults on the street.

Tony McNulty: CCTV can be an important tool in the fight against crime and disorder. However, evidence shows that its potential has not been fully realised and that a national strategy is needed. The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers are undertaking a review of CCTV, to determine how it may be used more effectively in reducing and detecting crime and terrorism. The review's findings will be known in the autumn.
	On the subject of deterrence, some work has already been done. In the recent Home Office evaluation of CCTV (Gill, M., and Spriggs, A. (2005) Assessing the Impact of CCTV. Home Office Research Study 292. London: Home Office, www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hors292.pdf), it appears that the likelihood of certain types of offence being committed was affected by the presence of cameras. It is the offences where the offender does a quick target 'risk assessment' that tend to be affected by the presence of CCTV.
	The Home Office has no figures available on the extent of, or success of the use of CCTV in the context of the prosecution of offenders who commit offences.

Child Trafficking

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on child trafficking in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The consultation exercise on proposals for a UK action plan on human trafficking, which ran from January-April this year, received 180 responses. 65 of these raised issues around child trafficking. A summary of the consultation responses was published on 21 June. The responses will contribute towards the development of the UK action plan on human trafficking which will include actions specific to child trafficking.
	Additionally, the cross Government ministerial group on human trafficking is working in partnership with non-Government organisations (NGOs) in tackling human trafficking. A separate stakeholder child trafficking forum, led by the Home Office meets regularly, providing an opportunity for Government officials and NGO representatives to discuss key issues.

Clear-up Rates

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of crimes notified to the police but not cleared up in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2004.

Tony McNulty: There were 3,340,094 undetected crimes in England and Wales in 1997 and 4,245,654 in 2004. The two figures are not comparable because of changes to the detections counting rules implemented in April 1999.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain a reply to the letter of 24 April 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton to Mr. K. Sheehan of the UK Passport Service with regard to Mrs. C. Lim; and what the reason is for the delay in replying hitherto.

John Reid: The letter of 24 April was received in Kevin Sheehan's office on 25 April. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the letter has been mislaid.
	Mr. Sheehan has personally contacted the office of my right hon. Friend to apologise for the delay and has obtained a copy of the letter. A reply will be sent on 29 June.

Crime Statistics

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the impact on public perception and fear of crime of listing separately as public order offences in crime statistics multiple alcohol-related offences committed at night.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has not made an assessment of the impact on public perceptions of the recording or reporting of particular crimes.
	The British Crime Survey routinely provides information on crimes where the offender was perceived to be under the influence of alcohol, and separately also provides information on people's worry about crime, including violent crime. The BCS does not measure people's perceptions of alcohol-related violence specifically, but does measure people's perceptions of antisocial behaviour including people being drunk or rowdy in public places. This information is routinely published in the annual volume and quarterly updates for 'Crime in England and Wales'.
	According to the 2004-05 BCS 16 per cent. of people were very worried about violent crime, and 22 per cent. of the people said that people being drunk or rowdy in public places was a fairly or very big problem in their local area. Based on the 2004-05 BCS victims believed the offender or offenders to be under the influence of alcohol in about half of all violent incidents (48 per cent.). This information is available in the Library, and via Home Office website http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html

Crime Statistics

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported crime in the Humberside Police Authority area resulted in a conviction in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available. Recorded crime data are based on offences and court proceedings data are based on offenders. The two data series are therefore not directly comparable.

Criminal Records Bureau

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what penalty clauses exist in the contract with Capita for the operation of the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will list occasions on which such clauses have been invoked.

Joan Ryan: Capita do not operate the Criminal Records Bureau. The disclosure service operates as a contract between the Criminal Records Bureau and Capita Business Services based upon a public private partnership agreement. Under this agreement, Capita are required to perform contractually specified Services and to develop, deliver and maintain the technical infrastructure of the disclosure service. This is to enable the Home Office to discharge its responsibilities under part V of the Police Act 1997 and other supporting legislation including the Protection of Children Act, 1999, to make available to approved organisations information regarding the criminal or related background of individuals.
	Other services carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau that are not undertaken by Capita are carried out by civil servants and include the sensitive matching of an applicant's personal details to records held on the Police National Computer (PNC) and other lists held by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.
	A contract schedule sets out the service levels for Capita to meet. A further schedule sets out the service credits that apply should Capita fail to meet the agreed service levels. There is provision within this contract for liquidated damages to be charged in the event of late delivery to agreed changes in the service.
	In each year since financial year 2001-02, the following payments have been received from Capita for service credits and liquidated damages:
	
		
			
			 2001-02 555,000 
			 2002-03 1,718,000 
			 2003-04 1,528,000 
			 2004-05 53,000 
			 2005-06 92,000 
		
	
	The hon. Member will appreciate that with a contract of this size and complexity, the CRB would not be able to list and explain the context of each occasion when service credits and liquidated damages have occurred without employing disproportionate resources.
	However, as an illustration, between August 2001 and November 2001, liquidated damages were applied due to the delays in launching the disclosure service and some of the associated services. Subsequent service credits were also applied in 2003 for operational delays within the disclosure process. These payments relate to the early years of the service.
	The contract was originally estimated at 400 million to run over 10 years. In each year since financial year 2001-02, CRB have paid Capita the following as service payments:
	
		
			million 
			 2001-02 12.1 
			 2002-03 33.5 
			 2003-04 58.5 
			 2004-05 44.1 
			 2005-06 47 
		
	
	There have been no performance related-payments made in any of the above financial years.

Criminal Records Bureau

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have received an incorrect assessment from the Criminal Records Bureau in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has issued 8.9 million disclosures since its launch in March 2002 to 31 March 2006. In that time, there have been 2,273 occasions where disclosure applicant details were matched by the CRB to a person with the same or very similar details who has a criminal record and, where the details had been challenged by the applicant, their dispute was subsequently upheld. The following table illustrates the breakdown, in each financial year.
	
		
			Upheld disputes 
			  Financial year  Number of disclosures issued  Number  Percentage 
			 2002-03 1,441,704 256 0.017 
			 2003-04 2,287,109 623 0.027 
			 2004-05 2,434,290 761 0.031 
			 2005-06 2,772,929 633 0.022 
			 Total 8,936,032 2,273 0.025 
		
	
	These cases are clearly regrettable, but represent a very small proportion of cases0.025 per cent. of the total number of disclosures issued.
	CRB staff use searching and matching techniques and arrangements approved by police forces. As with the police, when making their decision they must bear in mind that the source of much of the information recorded on the police national computer (PNC) database is provided by the individual concerned at the time of his or her arrest. CRB have to consider that the individual may deliberately choose to give or, in the heat of the moment, may be confused and give incomplete or incorrect information. The CRB is acutely aware of the human consequences of making an incorrect matching decision and does not do so lightly.
	There may also be occasions when a person's identity has been stolen or their personal details used when someone else is in contact with the police. It is for these reasons that the CRB must err on the side of caution when an individual has the same or very similar personal details to those of someone who has a criminal record. This is because it is better to be safe than run the risk of letting an inappropriate person through.
	When a disclosure is disputed the only safe way to resolve the situation is by asking the applicant to have his or her fingerprints taken at a local police station to help either confirm or overturn the original matching decision. There have been instances where the fingerprinting procedure has confirmed that an individual who has challenged the accuracy or the validity of the conviction information has been subsequently proved to be the owner of that conviction record.
	The CRB will always apologise if the original matching decision is later found to be incorrect. In the event of a dispute the CRB notifies the prospective employer who would be aware of the CRB's code of practice that asks them not to take any precipitative action and defer any employment decision until the dispute is resolved. When a disclosure is disputed the CRB will inform all parties that this is the case, including the employer. Where the information contained in the disclosure is found not to relate to the applicant, a fresh disclosure will be issued free-of-charge to both the applicant and the registered body. 90 per cent. of disputes are resolved within 21 days.
	A public consultation exercise was conducted in October 2003 about making greater use of fingerprinting at an earlier stage in the application process and to aid the matching and decision-making procedures. The overwhelming response was not in favour of such a measure.
	It is worth noting that under the previous police checking arrangements, individuals were not able to see the criminal records information disclosed about them. The information would have been passed only to the prospective employer and not to the job applicant and the prospective employer would have had no obligation to pass on the contents of the information to the individual.

Criminal Records Data

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place for sharing criminal records data of individuals from European Union countries admitted to the UK under the Workers Registration Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: There are currently no arrangements in place for sharing criminal records of individuals from EU member states under the Workers Registration Scheme. The scheme exists to monitor the labour market impact of nationals of the new member states taking employment in the UK. It does not regulate their entry nor their fitness to take a particular job, and those registering under the scheme are not asked to provide details of criminal convictions.

Criminal Records Data

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what consultation has taken place with law enforcement professionals in the UK on the European Union pilot project on the sharing of EU citizens' criminal records; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the UK plans to take part in the European Union pilot project on the sharing of the criminal records of EU residents; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The European Union has put in place a Council Decision on the sharing of criminal conviction information between member states. There has been active consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) and the Police Service for Northern Ireland to ensure that the UK has arrangements in place to comply with the Council Decision.
	It is proposed for the future enhancement of these arrangements to introduce an electronic method for exchanging criminal record information. To this end there is currently a 'pilot' taking place between Germany, Belgium, Spain and France. Further consultation with the relevant parties will be carried out before a decision is taken on whether to join the pilot.

Criminal Records Data

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions UK officials have had with law enforcement officials in  (a) Bulgaria and  (b) Romania on the implications for crime and law enforcement in the UK for those countries accession to the European Union in January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have asked law enforcement authorities to work together to assess the impact of accession on the UK's crime and law enforcement and to take necessary mitigating action. Cooperation on law enforcement is a key part of the UK's relationship with Bulgaria and Romania. We continually engage with Bulgarian and Romanian law enforcement officials. The Commission Monitoring Report of 16 May recognised recent progress in tackling organised crime but highlighted the need for further action in preparation for accession. In our contacts with the Bulgarian and Romanian Governments we have repeatedly stressed the need to address the concerns of the Commission. We are also providing some capacity building support to the Bulgarian and Romanian law enforcement authorities.

Extradition

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited  (a) to and  (b) from the UK in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The figures given in the table are for England and Wales only, as at 23 June 2006. They do not include extraditions to or from Scotland and Northern Ireland, where Ministers and judicial authorities have devolved powers to make or grant requests. They also exclude surrenders from or to the Republic of Ireland, prior to one January 2004, as those were made under the Backing of Warrants (Republic of Ireland) Act 1965, rather than under extradition legislation.
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) Extraditions to England and Wales  
			 2001 52 
			 2002 36 
			 2003 64 
			 2004(1) 66 
			 2005(1) 74 
			   
			  (b) Extraditions from England and Wales  
			 2001 55 
			 2002 53 
			 2003 55 
			 2004(1) 74 
			 2005(1) 139 
			 (1) The figures for 2004 and 2005 include extraditions to England and Wales made under part 3 of the Extradition Act 2003, and extraditions from England and Wales made under Part one of the Extradition Act 2003. Parts 1 and 3 of the Extradition Act 2003 implemented the European Arrest Warrant system with effect from one January 2004.

Firearms Certificates

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2005,  Official Report, column 652W to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Richard Younger-Ross), on firearms certificates, what the equivalent information is for  (a) England,  (b) London and  (c) each London borough.

Tony McNulty: Please see the following table covering London, England, and England and Wales. The data are not available by London borough.
	
		
			  Defendants sentenced and given custody for carrying a weapon or blade, 1997-2004( 1) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  London( 2) 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 1,001 876 738 861 
			 Immediate custody 159 158 119 160 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 1,274 1,335 1,089 1,168 
			 Immediate custody 190 225 181 196 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 2,275 2,211 1,827 2,029 
			 Immediate custody 349 383 300 356 
			  
			  England 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 3,900 4,093 3,870 3,843 
			 Immediate custody 482 552 513 558 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 3,185 3,598 3,337 3,349 
			 Immediate custody 356 519 498 479 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 7,085 7,691 7,207 7,192 
			 Immediate custody 838 1,071 1,011 1,037 
			  
			  England and Wales 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 4,130 4,375 4,135 4,108 
			 Immediate custody 509 585 554 595 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 3,341 3,788 3,548 3,518 
			 Immediate custody 372 550 534 499 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 7,471 8,163 7,683 7,626 
			 Immediate custody 881 1,135 1,088 1,094 
		
	
	
		
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  London( 2) 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 1,148 1,455 1,250 1,361 
			 Immediate custody 181 227 201 220 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 1,509 1,877 1,698 1,627 
			 Immediate custody 264 319 290 287 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 2,657 3,332 2,948 2,988 
			 Immediate custody 445 546 491 507 
			  
			  England 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 4,607 5,153 5,114 5,446 
			 Immediate custody 596 748 719 768 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 4,107 5,014 5,083 5,524 
			 Immediate custody 570 742 738 776 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 8,714 10,167 10,197 10,970 
			 Immediate custody 1,166 1,490 1,457 1,544 
			  
			  England and Wales 
			  Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 
			 Sentenced 4,873 5,441 5,394 5,758 
			 Immediate custody 634 787 760 817 
			  Having an article with a blade in a public place 
			 Sentenced 4,303 5,269 5,311 5,802 
			 Immediate custody 589 766 755 803 
			  Total of both offences 
			 Sentenced 9,176 10,710 10,705 11,560 
			 Immediate custody 1,223 1,553 1,515 1,620 
			 (1) The above offences are not covered within the Knives Act 1997 which came into force, partly in September 1997 and fully in March 1999. The offences are covered under previous Acts. The offence of possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse is covered under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 S.1. The offence of having an article with a blade or point in a public place is covered by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139. (2) London is made up by data from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police force areas.  Source: RDS NOMS 13/12/2005

Foreign Prisoners

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somalian nationals were prosecuted for criminal offences in the UK in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hizb-ut-Tehrir

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ban Hizb-ut-Tehrir under his powers of proscription of extremist and terrorist organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Terrorism Act 2006, which received Royal Assent on 30 March, widened the criteria for proscription to encompass those groups which glorify terrorism. All possible candidates for proscription will be considered against these widened criteria. We do not comment on individual groups that may be possible candidates for proscription.
	The list of proscribed organisations is kept under constant review. For further information on proscribed groups please see:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/proscribed-groups?version=1

Hunting Act

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought under the Hunting Act 2004, broken down by offence.

Vernon Coaker: The Hunting Act 2004 came into force on 18 February 2005. Data on the number of prosecutions in 2005 will be available this autumn.

Khat

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has conducted research into the prevalence of the use of khat in  (a) England and  (b) the London borough of Newham.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has not conducted research into the prevalence of khat use either nationally or at a local level. However, in 2005 the Home Office published the results of an interview study with 602 Somali people from communities in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield. This study reported the level and nature of khat use found among those interviewed as well as their attitudes towards khat use and their perceptions of its social and health effects, but it was not designed to assess general prevalence levels. The report is available in the House of Commons Library and on the Home Office website.

Labour Party Conference

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the costs of policing the Labour party conference in September 2006 will be met by Greater Manchester police.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office provide special grant to police authorities to pay for the policing of the main annual party conferences.
	Greater Manchester police have submitted a bid of 3.2 million (revenue) plus 1 million (capital) for policing the 2006 Labour party autumn conference. The application is being considered and a decision will be taken shortly.

Ministerial Meetings

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when  (a) he and  (b) his predecessors have met (i) the chairman and (ii) the members of the Sentencing Guidelines Council to discuss their roles within the criminal justice system.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Secretary has regular meetings with the Lord Chief Justice to discuss matters of mutual interest. The previous Home Secretary visited the Sentencing Guidelines Council on 4 May 2006 and met the members.

National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the funding for the National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit for 2006-07 is being provided by his Department; and what arrangements are in place for the future funding of this Unit.

Vernon Coaker: In 2006-07 the Home Office is providing 5 per cent. of the funding towards the National Wildlife Crime Unit. This is one half of one full-time post.
	Discussions about the future funding of the Unit will take place later in the year.

Offender Managers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expect to have a named offender manager for all offenders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Based on current planning assumptions, all offenders sentenced to a community order or custodial sentence will have an offender manager by September 2008.

Parking Tickets

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parking tickets were issued by the Trent Valley division of the Staffordshire police force in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Available information on fixed penalty notices relating to all offences of obstruction, waiting and parking within the Staffordshire police force area during the calendar years 2000 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the following table. It is not possible from the data collected centrally to identify the Trent Valley division within the geographical area covered by the Staffordshire police force.
	Information for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Fixed penalty data for obstruction, waiting and parking offences( 1) , Staffordshire police force area, 2000-04 
			   Number of tickets 
			   Endorsable  Non-endorsable 
			 2000 5 11,936 
			 2001 7 9,154 
			 2002 1 7,275 
			 2003 1 8,410 
			 2004 5 9,343 
			 (1 )Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s.22; Transport Act 2000 ss. 173 (5); 173 (6); 173 (7); 174 (3); 175 (2); 175 (3); 175 (4); 190 Highway Act 1835 ss 72  78; RTA 1988 ss. 19  21; Highways Act 1980 s. 137 (1); Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 ss. 5 (1), 8, 32-36  45-53; Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 Regs. 101  103; Transport Act 2000 Part III.

Parliamentary Questions

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why it took until 22 May 2006 to send a substantive reply to question 48371 on HMP Chelmsford tabled by the hon. Member for West Chelmsford for answer on 6 February; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 June 2006
	I am sorry the hon. Member did not receive a more prompt reply to his question.
	Ministers and officials make every effort to answer questions substantively in accordance with performance guidelines. However this delay is unacceptable.
	I have asked those responsible for oversight of my Department's PQs to improve our performance.

Passports

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who applied to renew their UK passports in 2005 did so with a current address in the Irish Republic.

Joan Ryan: The number of passports issued by the British embassy in Dublin in financial year 2005-06 is 10,817.
	Identity and Passport Service (IPS) do not issue passports to applicants with a current address outside of the UK. This is due to the security issues relating to distributing passports by post.
	Applicants who reside in the Irish Republic and who do not have a valid UK address are required to renew their passports via a local British embassy office.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce final proposals for police force restructuring in the South West of England.

Tony McNulty: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced during the course of Home Office oral questions on 19 June, no Orders for Home Secretary initiated police force mergers will be laid before the summer recess. Instead, we want to spend the coming months engaging with police forces and police authorities, including those in the South West, in discussions on the best way forward.

Police

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial assistance his Department intends to give to Lancashire and Cumbria police authorities to assist in their voluntary merger.

Tony McNulty: We have currently offered Lancashire and Cumbria police a total of 17.8 million in restructuring grants, reflecting our commitment to paying 100 per cent. of reasonable set up revenue and capital costs of restructuring, net of reasonable savings, and reflecting their trailblazer status. We expect to come to a final agreement in the autumn.

Police

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the cost of bringing protective services in the four Welsh police forces up to the level considered fit for purpose in the report Closing the Gap.

Tony McNulty: The case submitted by the four Welsh police authorities in December 2005 identified costs and benefits of force merger, including a considerable investment to provide an uplift in protective services.
	Our assessment, based on independent financial review and professional moderation, is that the same benefits could be realised for a much lower investment. The Home Office continues to work with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Welsh police forces and authorities to review the business case, to refine the costs and benefits of providing the necessary uplift in protective service provision while achieving best value for money.
	The operational assessment that a single authority and force for Wales is the best for protecting people better from serious crime and terrorism remains unchanged.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been shot by police firearms units and subsequently not been charged with any offence in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not collected centrally.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been shot by police firearms units resulting in  (a) an injury and  (b) a fatality in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collected in the form requested. Since 2001 there have been 27 separate incidents where conventional weapons were discharged by armed police officers in England and Wales. I understand from ACPO that 16 people have been fatally shot, and a further six people have received an injury. A breakdown by year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of incidents at which firearms discharged by a police officer  (England and Wales) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			 Fatal 4 2 2 2 6  
			 Injury  2 2 1 1  
			 No injury  1 1  1 1 
			 Not known 1  
			 (1 )To 31 March 2006

Police

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost involved in the reorganisation of existing police forces into the Yorkshire and Humber regional force is; and from where the required resources will be provided.

Tony McNulty: Based on financial projections currently available and being refined, a net saving from restructuring of 37 million is projected during the first five years of operation of a combined authority.
	The Government have undertaken to pay 100 per cent. of reasonable set up revenue and capital costs, net of reasonable savings.

Police

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future of the  (a) civilian staff and  (b) specialist police staff involved in level 2 operations and forensic management who are working at the new Gloucestershire constabulary headquarters at Quedgeley if the proposed police restructuring goes ahead.

Tony McNulty: The proposed merger of police forces into new strategic forces addresses an identified weakness in current provision and is intended to strengthen forces' ability to deliver protective services to the public. No decision has yet been made in respect of forces in SW England including Gloucestershire. Decisions about future posts will be for the new strategic forces management teams to determine. Should a new force be created, staff and police officers in post in precursor forces at the time its creation would transfer to the new force.

Private Security Companies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he estimates the backlog of licence applications will be cleared by the Security Industry Authority.

Vernon Coaker: Having received a large number of late applications, the SIA currently has a backlog waiting to enter the system. This is currently adding between two and four weeks to the processing time, so it is now taking up to 10 weeks to process most applications. The SIA has put significant additional resources into clearing this backlog, and expect it will have been cleared by early August.

Private Security Companies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private security companies were not compliant with the Private Security Industry Act 2001 at 21 March  (a) 2001 and  (b) 2006.

Vernon Coaker: The Private Security Industry Act 2001 requires individuals (not companies) who undertake designated activities to hold the appropriate Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence. Security companies can seek to achieve approved company status (ACS) but this scheme is voluntary.

Private Security Companies

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how long he expects applications submitted for the licensing of close protection industry operatives to take to be processed;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of close protection licences.

Vernon Coaker: The information is as follows.
	(a) The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued. Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between two and four weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 10 weeks to process most applications. As of 13 June there were 7,933 of applications for the manned guarding sector in this backlog.
	(b) The SIA has put significant additional resources into clearing this backlog, and expect that by early August applications will achieve the SIA's published target.

Restorative Justice

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to increase the use of restorative justice.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government strongly support the use of restorative justice given its proven benefits for victims. We published our restorative justice strategy in July 2003, best practice guidance for practitioners was issued in December 2004 and guidance on setting up adult restorative justice schemes was issued to local criminal justice boards in March 2005.
	Restorative justice has been a central part of the youth justice system since the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Contact with the victim or reparation can be part of all youth justice disposals, including Final Warnings, Referral Orders, Reparation Orders, Action Plan Orders and Supervision Orders.
	We encourage the use of restorative justice in the adult criminal justice system, particularly as a service to victims and it can, for example, be delivered as part of a conditional caution. We are building an evidence base on the impact of restorative justice on re-offending to inform our longer-term strategy for adults.

Sentencing Bodies (Appointments)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Department for Constitutional Affairs,  (b) the Lord Chancellor and  (c) the Lord Chief Justice on the appointment of members to the (i) Sentencing Guidelines Council and (ii) Sentencing Advisory Panel.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Secretary, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice consult each other, as required by statute, on the appointments to the Sentencing Guidelines Council and the Sentencing Advisory Panel.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) trained surveillance teams and  (b) individuals are employed by the Home Office to monitor terrorist suspects in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The monitoring of terrorist suspects is primarily carried out by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, not the Home Office.

Terrorism

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has given to police officers on identifying those who should be stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Tony McNulty: We are continuing to work with police and other stakeholders to develop detailed guidance on the circumstances in which stop and search powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 should be used in order to increase consistency and reassure the public that the powers are used appropriately. This work has had considerable input from police authorities, community representatives and other interest groups. Interim guidance was published on 22 December 2005 by the National Centre for Policing Excellence on this subject, and can be viewed on the ACPO website. A final version of the guidance will be published later this year.
	The Home Office also published the Stop and Search Manual in March 2005, which provides guidance on best practice in relation to all stop and search powers. The Codes of Practice issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 also include guidance on the use of stop and search powers, both generally and specifically in relation to powers under the Terrorism Act.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-offending rate was for inmates detained at  (a) local authority secure units,  (b) secure training centres and  (c) young offenders' institutions in the last period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Re-offending rates are not available broken down by type of custodial institution.
	The most recent information on the re-offending of juveniles was published in June 2006 as 'Juvenile re-offending: results from the 2004 cohort. Home Office On-Line Report 10/06'. The report is available on line at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1006.pdf. This includes re-offending rates for juveniles given custodial sentences.